


The Way You Left Me

by unknowableroom_archivist



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Marauders' Era, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-11-18
Updated: 2007-12-22
Packaged: 2019-01-19 12:40:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 26,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12410496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unknowableroom_archivist/pseuds/unknowableroom_archivist
Summary: Sirius had a tale of his own - one person who changed the course of his life and made him the man he became. All that knew her and loved her are gone, and her name is lost in the wings of time.In every great epic, some stories are lost in time. This is one of them...





	1. Prologue: The Treasure Chest

**Author's Note:**

> Note from ChristyCorr, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [Unknowable Room](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Unknowable_Room), a Harry Potter archive active from 2005-2016. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project after May 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Unknowable Room collection profile](http://www.archiveofourown.org/collections/unknowableroom).

  
Author's notes: 1  


* * *

**Prologue: The Treasure Chest**

_Autumn 1996 -_ _We are finally together_   


The current users of 12 Grimmauld Place, one Order of the Phoenix, had discovered very quickly that Molly Weasley was serious about her housekeeping, come rain or shine or mortal peril. After the debacle at the Ministry and Voldemort’s public return in front of the Minister and several bewildered Aurors, the last was the most likely. Even the death of the former owner and sole heir to the Black estate hadn’t been enough to stop Molly. She had restrained herself with difficulty till the end of summer, but once the kids were back at school, it was back to de-glooming the old Black manor.

Remus submitted easily to the frenetic schedule of dusting, sweeping, clearing and tidying. It was necessary for the place to be usable to the Order, after all, but he refused to admit to himself that it was a relief to have something to occupy him. The mundane chores distracted his thoughts – they were straying to dangerous territory more and more often these days.

There was a downside, of course. Despite being the abode of his dearly despised predecessors, the house seemed to ring with Sirius’s presence. Remus could barely turn a corner and not be reminded of his friend, his rough laugh, a moment they had shared, some stupid argument they’d had. Sirius had passed behind the veil, gone off to join James in that place where there were no wars or tears or goodbyes. Remus had found after he’d gotten over the initial shock of Padfoot’s death that he wasn’t really very sad for him at all – he was sad for himself. Peter was as good as dead now anyway. He was alone, the only Marauder left fighting this impossible war.

Still, Remus told himself firmly time and again, it was better to be lonely. He was only hurting himself now, but if he allowed himself…then he would hurt _her_. It was better to be lonely, or sad or scared or anything than hurt her.

The cleaning assignment for today was the top floor, containing several old storage rooms and the room in which Sirius had housed Buckbeak. The Hippogriff had been picked up by Hagrid a few days before, now under the alias ‘Witherwings’ and was safely back at Hogwarts with the Ministry none the wiser. After the smell of droppings began emanating into the lower floors, Molly decided it was time to give the former stable a thorough scrubbing down.

Molly had assigned him one of the storage rooms, and Remus was glad. He didn’t want to spend too long in Buckbeaks’s room – since they’d moved into Grimmauld Place, Sirius had spent a lot of time in there. It was full of his trash as well as Buckbeak’s. 

He tied a handkerchief around his nose and mouth before opening an old wooden cabinet covered in three inches of grey dust. Inside were stacks of dishes, all stamped and engraved upon closer inspection with the Black family crest and rimmed with gold. Most of them were in good condition, so he placed them into a cardboard box. They would be useful when there were extra people for dinner after meetings.

Hours passed and Remus lost himself in the humdrum work. He only realised his stomach was rumbling when Molly called him for lunch.

‘Ah, are those to keep or throw?’ she asked when he came downstairs with the box full of plates.

‘Keep, I think.’

‘That pile then.’ She pointed to a neat stack on the far end of the kitchen table. There was another pile on the near end.

‘What about this stuff?’ Remus asked. 

‘That’s the ‘maybe’ pile’, Molly replied as she placed an enormous platter of sandwiches in front of him, along with a plate and a glass. ‘I’m not sure whether it’s useful or not, so I thought that everyone could have a look through and see if they wanted anything, and we’ll throw the rest.’

A jug of iced pumpkin juice joined the platter, along with a plate of cheese and apple slices. Molly then sat down herself.

‘It’s just the two of us today; Tonks went to visit her parents and Mundungus has gone out, thank heavens. Tuck in!’

‘Thanks, Molly’, said Remus, helping himself to a chicken sandwich, then another. Molly sorted through some items in the ‘maybe’ pile as she ate. There was a pouch containing what she thought might be dried dappleberries, but what Remus quickly identified were dried-out doxy droppings. 

Remus was helping himself to his eighth sandwich and third wedge of cheese when Molly pulled out a strange, dusty wooden box. Unlike all the other items they had collected so far, ranging from the ornate to the bizarre to the downright creepy, this box looked completely ordinary. It was made of unpolished wood and roughly cut – like a wood shoe box.

‘What is that?’ Remus asked. Unlike everything else, it was dust-free, like it had been used recently.

‘I don’t know, I didn’t see it before’, Molly said, trying to prise it open. ‘I must have picked it up with all the rest of Sirius’s things in that room. Ugh – it won’t open!’ She pulled out her wand and pointed it at the resisting box.

‘ _Alohomora_ _!_ ’ It remained shut. Molly sighed. ‘Well, I didn’t really think that would work anyway. Maybe we shouldn’t open it – it might be dangerous.’

Remus leant across the table, picked up the box and shook it. It sounded like there were several small objects inside, tumbling around.

‘I think its ok. It’s probably some more Black memorabilia.’ Remus pointed his own wand at the box and muttered _‘Liberatio!’_

Molly tried to lift the lid again; it came away easily. She bent over to examine the box’s contents. A slight frown creased her face as she raised a long thin piece of paper.

‘What is it?’ Remus asked, him mouth full of sandwich.

‘Some Muggle photos’, said Molly, ‘Of a couple of girls. Oh, this one is Lily Potter!’ She turned the photo around to show Remus, who looked at it and felt blood drain away from face. He took the photo out of her hands and stared at it.

It was actually a series of photos from an instant photo booth, the kind kept in the Underground for taking passport photos. The paper was ragged at the end where someone had torn some of the pictures off. The two shots left showed two young girls, one redheaded and a brunette, arms around each other and grinning for the camera, and then holding up what seemed to be a white beribboned parcel bearing the stamp ‘Balderdash and Sprigg’.

The redhead girl was indeed Lily, her green eyes crinkled in amusement in the photos. Remus knew those eyes well – he was used to seeing them on Harry now. But the girl beside her, he had not seen those dark brown eyes for almost twenty years. 

Looking at them, set in a palely freckled face, he experienced a sudden rush of recollection: _the faint scent of meadowsweet soap from the Prefects’ bathroom; lying under the trees by the Lake on a hot summer day; ink-stained fingers; the soft imprint of lips; the smell of alcohol and pink confetti everywhere; burning letters; two figures asleep on the bed next to his, one black haired and one brown, running down the streets of Hogsmeade; screaming and flashes of green light all around, and then silence and the blackness of Sirius’s eyes._

‘Remus? Remus!’ He looked up to see Molly’s face creased with concern, and realised he’d forgotten completely that she was still there.

‘I – I’m fine.’

‘There isn’t a curse on that Muggle photo is there? You went completely white just then!’

‘No, no, there’s no curse’, Remus muttered distractedly. ‘Can I see the rest of the stuff in that box?’

‘Yes, of course’, Molly said, sliding it over. ‘I’ll clear this lot away if you’ve had enough to eat.’

‘Er, yeah, that’s fine. Thanks, Molly.’ Remus smiled at her; she still looked a bit worried. He took the box into the landing. Sitting on the stairs, he opened it again to examine the remaining items inside.

Along with the slip of instant photos, there was a sheaf of brittle-looking parchment tied with ribbon. Remus undid the knot and spread out the first sheet. In neat cursive, the title read ‘N.E.W.T. Level: Rudimentary Metamorphosis’ followed by a set of class notes. In sections the margin contained extra notes or drawings in a much more untidy hand. On the second to last page, the initials ‘A.L.’ were scrawled. Underneath them were the initials ‘A.B.’ which had been crossed out by the untidy writer.

There was a small, tarnished music box that when opened twanged a few notes and petered out. Remus replaced it in the box and picked up an ornamental hair slide, also tarnished with age. There were also some carefully folded clippings from the Daily Prophet, yellow and fragile with age, but well read by their appearance. Remus recognised the date on the first clipping, and resisted the urge to read the article, instead laying them back flat into the box.

In an envelope bearing the Hogwarts coat of arms he found lots of scraps of paper with scribbles on them – notes. He read a few, smiling, suddenly transported to double Potions on a Friday afternoon again. The large envelope contained one smaller envelope. The name on the front read _Sirius_ in the same cursive as the set of notes. It contained a few more scraps of parchment, and a letter that seemed as well read over as the newspaper clippings. 

Remus scanned the contents of the letter quickly. In places the ink was smudged by fingerprints, in others by what appeared to be tear stains. The last page simply read: 

_what_ _the future holds, but I know this for sure. I only existed before, but with you I have lived, and that is enough for a whole lifetime. I’ll never lose hope in you, Sirius. I love you._

_Your Artemis_

Beneath the signature was a lipstick stain showing two pursed lips. Remus felt a prickling in his eyes that he had been trying to hold at bay ever since that night at the Ministry. He took a few deep breaths and hurriedly replaced the papers into the envelope.He was reaching for the lid to shut over the box when a glint of gold caught his eye. He pushed aside the various contents at the bottom of the box and extracted a thin chain of gold. It looked brand new, untouched by age and out of place among all the other old things in the box. However, as Remus handled it he noticed the pendant hanging from it. The stone was smooth and polished, a rich honey colour, but dull from the inside. It felt cold to the touch despite being in his warm hand for some time.

As he held up the outstretched necklace, he could almost see the pendant resting against a sweater, the chain draped around a pale neck and tangled with shiny brown hair. He could almost hear a slight laugh from very far away.

‘Lupin! What’s wrong?’ At the gruffness of Mad-Eye Moody’s voice, the sound of that laugh seemed to evaporate. Remus looked up at the Auror, who was standing above him, scowling. 

‘Huh? I’m fine.’ He looked strangely blurry. Remus blinked; tears fell onto his knees and his vision cleared.

‘What’s that?’ Moody said, his magical eye rolling crazily and his real one fixed on Remus. ‘Looks dodgy. Want me to dispose of it?’

‘Oh! We’re not going to throw it out. No, this box is Sirius’s…treasure chest.’

Moody rolled both his eyes and stumped off in the direction of the kitchen. Remus retrieved the box’s lid and took it upstairs. He stopped at Sirius’s room, and inside placed the box gently onto the pillows on the bed. Then he closed the door quietly behind him and went downstairs.

 

**A/N:** well, here goes nothing!!! beginning of the story!! the prologue actually takes place after the events in the main story. also let me say, i tried hard to make everything as inline with canon as possible, but if i made mistakes please forgive me! enjoy! (r/r and you're my bff!) x nadeshiko  


 

 


	2. Platforms and Detentions

**Chapter One: Platforms and Detentions**

_September 1978 - the journey to find each other begins_

Like every year, the station at Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters was so full of students that it was impossible for anyone except the unusually tall to see across the crowd. Gilderoy was sitting on his trunk while his sister tried to jostle her way through the sea of people towards the gleaming red Hogwarts Express. He knew that it was useless to try himself – he was so slight that he’d get pushed over within seconds. 

She returned a few minutes later, looking annoyed and slightly ruffled.

‘Impossible! How are we meant to get through to the train with this lot?’ She gestured over her shoulder. ‘No one will move out of the way!’

Gilderoy’s father, a tall and serious looking man, spoke. ‘I have to return home soon. Some important visitors are coming to see me this afternoon.’ He took his daughter briefly into his arms, and patted his son’s head. ‘Until Christmas, then. Good luck with your studies this year, Artemis. And for Quidditch, Gilderoy.’

‘Thank you Father’, both children replied in unison. Galryan Lockhart nodded briefly, and turned and disappeared through the boundary wall between Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters and Muggle King’s Cross. Gilderoy looked up at his sister, who was chewing her lip, a habit she frequently reverted to when annoyed. 

‘Arty –’

‘Gilderoy, look there’s an opening in the crowd!’ She pointed to a carriage nearby where an exploding Dungbomb had created a small gap towards the entrance. ‘Go on, take your trunk and go sit down somewhere!’ She watched as her thirteen year old brother’s blonde head disappeared in the crowd, and watched him get onto the carriage. Once Gilderoy had disappeared from view, she sighed and began to push her own trolley further down the platform. The small shiny badge with a P emblazoned upon the Gryffindor shield showed her to be a Prefect, and as such she was determined to use her status to get some luxury in the Prefect carriage located almost at the end of the train. 

It was a long walk. As she finally reached the Prefect carriage, her arms were aching from pushing the trolley, but thankfully the crowd had thinned significantly. She checked her watch – 10:54. Six minutes left. _I can’t use magic to make my trunk lighter. Damn it, how am I going to carry it?_ She tugged hopefully at a handle, but succeeded only in causing the trolley to roll over her foot.

‘Ow!’ She jumped up and down on one foot, cursing not very silently. The outburst had drawn attention, as someone appeared in the doorway of the carriage. 

‘Hey, need a hand? Oh, Artemis. Hi.’ Artemis Lockhart swung her dark brown hair around as she turned to face James Potter, Head Boy, by the badge affixed to his robes. He was leaning against the frame of the door, a friendly but guarded expression on his face. ‘Need a hand?’

‘Yes please’, Artemis said gratefully, and allowed James to lift one side of the trunk. She grabbed the other handle just as the train’s shrill whistle blew. Together they shoved the trunk through the open door, before James hopped back on. ‘Quick! Jump!’ He held out his hand and she grabbed it. Another hand grabbed her other arm and together they pulled her onto the carriage just as the platform began to slip away beneath her. 

‘Phew, close one! Thanks a lot, James.’ She smiled at him, before noticing someone behind him. 

The smile melted off her face. Standing behind James further back in the corridor was his friend and her fellow Gryffindor Prefect – Remus Lupin. Sensing the sudden tension, James beat a hasty exit into the Prefect compartment, muttering about ‘Head Boy duties’. 

The beating of Artemis’s heart had suddenly become loud and painful. She tried hard to not clench her hands into fists as she stared at the boy standing a few metres away. His expression, usually serene, was disturbed and wary. 

‘How was – how are you?’ Remus asked cautiously. He looked at the roof rather than at her. 

She replied in as cold and steady a voice as she could manage, ‘I’ve been better.’

‘Artemis’, he sighed, ‘I told you why I ended it.’ He took a step closer. ‘I just wanted to be honest with you. I know you were upset – I’m sorry about that.’

‘Remus.’ She hated the whiny, pathetic longing in her voice. ‘Please. You can’t be serious about this. We were fine. It was nice. I don’t understand why you broke it off.’

‘I told you in the letter. You don’t love me, Arty.’

‘You don’t know that, Remus!’ her voice was quavering now. It had only been half an hour since she’d stepped back into school life, and already she was breaking down. ‘I do care about you! What have I done to make you think that I don’t love you?’

‘It’s not what you’ve done’ he said, quietly and patiently. ‘It’s what you never did.’

‘What? What did I never do?’ she gasped, and then glared at him. ‘Is it that I never shagged you? Remus, I can’t believe you!’

He shook his head, frowning at her in annoyance. ‘No! It’s not that, Arty, you know I didn’t care about that.’

‘But…then – ’

‘You never said you loved me’ Remus said firmly, his eyes meeting hers. ‘Not once. You never looked me in the eyes like I’m looking at you now, and said “Remus, I love you.” Not ever, Arty.’

Artemis gaped at him in disbelief. ‘Because I didn’t say some words to you, you broke up with me? Ok, Remus, I love you. Happy?’

He shook his head again. ‘No. I believe you when you say you love me, Arty, I know you do. As a friend, maybe. But you aren’t _in_ love with me. You never were, not even for one little second. You never looked at me that way. You never let me fully into your heart and you never wanted to fully enter mine. You could never share your whole self with me – there was always something holding you back.’ He took a deep breath. ‘Even after a year, you were not in love with me. And this summer I realised you never would be. So I broke it off.’

The tears welling in her eyes threatened to escape at any moment. She didn’t trust herself to speak. Remus moved even closer to her and took her hands in his. She gasped. 

‘I love you too, and I always will. But I’m not in love with you Arty, because we never really knew each other. Just realise that, and don’t be unhappy. It’s not your fault.’ He let go of her hands and disappeared into the Prefects’ compartment. 

Artemis sat down on the floor beside her trunk, staring at her palms. She blinked, and tears overflowed and ran down her cheeks. _He’s wrong. I love him, but he doesn’t love me anymore and he’s too chicken to admit it. He’s wrong._ Then she got up, wiping her cheeks against her arm, and opened the door of the Prefect’s compartment. It was her last year at Hogwarts, and she was damned if she was going to start it miserable.

                                                           *  
 

It had only been a week since the school year had started, and Sirius was already behind. He hung about moodily in the Transfiguration classroom, throwing dirty looks at James as he winked at him on their way out. Remus followed, looking slightly less cheerful after spending the lesson avoiding eye contact with his ex-girlfriend. McGonagall had ordered Sirius in her most freezing voice to remain after class ended as she placed his essay on Duplicating Spells in front of him with a large red D adorning the margin. D for Dreadful. 

He fiddled with a scrap of paper while she finished gathering her things. It wasn’t the thought of punishment or concern about his grades that slightly unsettled the usually cool Sirius Black. It was Professor McGonagall, head of Gryffindor and possibly the most intimidating woman he’d ever met, aside from his mother. She was made even more intimidating by the fact that he actually respected her, whereas he didn’t give a toss about his mother’s opinions. 

‘So, Master Black’, said McGonagall, her mouth already in a thin line. _Not good, not good!_ Sirius put his hands under the desk so he could fidget more discreetly. ‘You appear to be unable to cope with the N.E.W.T. level work in this subject.’

‘It’s only the very first bit of homework Professor’, he replied nonchalantly. ‘Bound to be rusty after the holidays, right?’

‘Wrong, Black. Unfortunately this year students that are not up to scratch for N.E.W.T.s can and _will_ be removed from the subject in order to not hinder the rest of the class.’ She looked at him severely down the bridge of her nose. ‘Right now, that means you.’

‘What are you saying, Professor? Am I out of Transfiguration!? After one week?’ 

She raised an eyebrow at his outburst, and said archly, ‘Not quite yet, Black. However, your performing poorly is not a new thing. All through last year you were barely scraping through. I hate to see potential wasted, especially from one in my own House. And also keep in mind’, she said with a knowing look, ‘that Transfiguration is necessary for entry into the Auror training program.’

_She really does know everything!_ Sirius kept silent, but it was plain to them both that he understood. 

‘In order to rectify this situation, I’m assigning you a tutor.’ Sirius’s mouth dropped open.

‘T-tutor? As in extra lessons?’ He was horrified at the thought of spending even more time on this boring subject. ‘But Professor, I – please Professor, it’s not necessary! I can study by myself, I don’t need –’

She cut him off. ‘Whether or not you _need_ help is for me to decide, Black, and I think you do. But’ –Sirius looked up hopefully – ‘but, as I haven’t got a suitable tutor candidate as yet, you’ll have to wait for a while.’ She frowned at the growing grin on his face. ‘A short while, Black. You will have a tutor very soon, I guarantee it!’

‘B-but…’ His stutters of dismay were interrupted by the sound of shouting outside. Professor McGonagall dismissed him and then hurried to the door to investigate the source of the commotion. Equally curious, Sirius grabbed his bag and followed. 

Lunch had started, so the corridors were fairly empty. In fact right now the only two people in the corridor were Remus and his ex, who were standing three feet apart and looked like they were preparing to duel. Remus’ normally pale skin was flushed and he looked angry. The anger was mirrored in Artemis’s eyes, Sirius noted, and the hand gripping her wand was white. They were engaged in a verbal battle, apparently oblivious to both Sirius and McGonagall.

‘Just stop it, Arty! It is over! Don’t you understand English? OVER!’ 

Artemis replied angrily, ‘I know that, you git! But how dare you embarrass me in front of my friends?’

‘I didn’t do anything! We’re not together anymore! What was I meant to do, shag you in front of them?’

She flinched, and her expression changed from angry to hurt. Remus hesistated, but in a second the hurt was gone and replaced with – if possible – more rage.

‘You fucking bastard!’

‘Miss Lockhart! That is enough!’ McGonagall had finally reached them at the end of the corridor. She stood between them, fixing both with her most piercing, livid stare until both quailed under her gaze and looked away. ‘What is the meaning of this behaviour? Abusing each other in the corridors? And you’re both Prefects! You’re meant to set an example, not behave like uncivilised boors! Miss Lockhart, I never want to hear such language in my presence ever again!’

‘Yes, ma’am’ she replied quietly. McGonagall turned to Remus, who was still flushed from the argument.

‘And you, Lupin! Making crude suggestions like that is just as appalling!’

‘I am sorry, Professor’ he said sincerely, but McGonagall was in no mood for either of them. 

‘Detention. And fifty points from Gryffindor.’ Both nodded slowly. There was no point arguing; it was likely to get them into even more trouble. McGonagall turned to walk away, and Sirius tried to make himself scarce lest it be obvious he had been watching the whole scene, when she stopped him. She turned back to Artemis, who flinched, and said ‘No detention for you, Miss Lockhart. You can tutor Mister Black in Transfiguration instead.’

‘No thank you, Professor’, said Artemis quickly, looking alarmed. ‘I’d rather the detention.’

‘I’m not asking you, Lockhart’, said Professor McGonagall sharply. ‘You can start on Wednesday.’ And she turned her heel and walked away. All three children remained rooted to the spot until the sound of her boots on the wooden floors had died away. Then without a word, Sirius and Remus turned to go to lunch in the Great Hall. Sirius looked back for an instant to see Artemis Lockhart disappearing back up the stairs towards Gryffindor Tower. 


	3. Deja Vu and Dangerous Liasons

**Chapter Two: Déjà Vu and Dangerous Liaisons**

Artemis tapped her fingers on the desk impatiently. Wednesday had come all too soon, and Professor McGonagall had been as good as her word. She had refused to hear any protests and finally threatened to take away Artemis’s Prefect badge if she complained anymore. Artemis, very grudgingly, had left the common room twenty minutes earlier and come to an empty classroom near the Gryffindor Head’s office where the tutoring would be held. 

She shuffled with papers, checked the nib of her quill, looked up things in an old Transfiguration textbook – anything to pass the time. Finally, she returned to the desk and sat cross-legged, her chin resting on one palm, gazing out of a window. The sun was setting and made the lake look like a pool of gold and crimson. Artemis’s thoughts wandered, remembering passing lazy afternoons by that lake for the last six years. It was a place that she and Remus had had many of their dates. 

She sighed, suppressing the ball of anger and frustration that welled up in her throat at the thought of that failed relationship. She had loved Remus, but had tried to protect herself at the same time. _And that cost me everything_ , she thought sadly. What he had craved – the honesty and vulnerability; she had never been able to give to him in that open manner. 

To distract herself from her own melancholy thoughts, she checked her watch and hissed in annoyance. Sirius Black was already fifteen minutes late! But she dared not leave and return to the common room. McGonagall had been formidable. 

Looking back on the lake, Artemis remembered suddenly an altogether different memory. It was third year, and just after exams. In fact, the third-years had just completed their Transfiguration exams and were heading to the sweeping lawns by the lake to unwind before Charms. 

_Thirteen-year-old Artemis lifted her shoulder-length hair off the back of her neck to allow a cool breeze through. She sat around with a few of the Gryffindor girls – Imelda Collins, Flannery Grunion and Lily Evans. They were sitting partially in the shade of a large oak by the water’s edge. Lily and Imelda had removed their socks and shoes and dipped their toes into the lake. Flan was more interested in examining her reflection in the same lake. Artemis yawned and stretched out onto the grass, her head against Imelda’s thigh._

_Eyes half-closed, she let her mind go and enjoyed the sound of her friends’ voices above her._

_‘What do_ you _want?’ Lily Evans’ sharp tone sliced through her daydreams and she unwillingly opened her eyes to see that James Potter and his ‘flunkies’ – as Lily called them – had come over._

_‘I want you to go out with me, Evans’ said Potter in a voice that he only used around Lily. It was deeper, but as his voice hadn’t broken properly yet, it sounded more like he had a blocked nose. Flan and Imelda tittered – this was nothing new. Lily gave them a scathing look._

_‘I’d say yes, but unfortunately I don’t date self-important, puffed-up, conceited asses. Sorry, Potter. Now go away!’_

_Potter did not look put off in the least. ‘Well lucky for you,_ I’m _asking you out, not Sirius. Come on, Evans. One date.’_

_‘I’d rather go out with Peeves.’_

_‘Alright, a double date, then!’ Potter seemed very determined. Artemis was impressed by his persistence, although he was growing more annoying by the minute. ‘Sirius wants to go out with Lockhart anyway. We can all go together.’ He then grunted as Black deftly elbowed him in the ribs._

_Artemis now sat up, looking at Sirius Black with curiosity. Even at thirteen, Black was as smooth a ladies’ man as she had ever encountered. He wanted to date her? His face showed no embarrassment, rather annoyance directed at his friend, possibly for ruining his own routine of getting dates._

_‘Well Lockhart’, he said, turning to her, ‘how about it?’_

_‘Er…’ Artemis felt herself turning pink. Yes? No? The other girls were looking at her intently. Lily obviously didn’t look happy at the idea._

_Before she could accept or decline, Black added ‘You wouldn’t look half-bad with some makeup and besides, being seen with me can only help your social…situation.’ Artemis’s mouth dropped open, and the next second a Charms textbook (the closest available projectile) was being hurled at Black’s nose._

Artemis snapped back into real time as her chin slid off her hand. She had totally forgotten about that afternoon. Sirius Black – the infamous Sirius Black – had asked her out almost four years ago. She allowed herself to wonder what would have happened if they’d dated. 

_Probably murder._ She laughed at the thought.

‘Laughing in an empty room, now. I always knew you were cracked, Lockhart.’ Black cruised into the room, looking remarkably unconcerned that he was almost half an hour late. When Artemis mentioned the fact to him he shrugged, flipping the hair out of his eyes.

‘I had things to do.’

‘Well so did I, you jerk. I’ve been waiting for ages!’ She began to open up a textbook when she noticed something else. ‘Where’s your stuff?’

‘What stuff?’ he looked genuinely surprised at the question. She rolled her eyes.

‘Your notes, your book, your parchment, your quill! Is this how you turn up to all your lessons?’

‘Well this isn’t an actual lesson, is it?’

Artemis glared at him. ‘It definitely is! The only way I’m getting out of this is if you pass Transfig, and you _will_ pass because I have better things to do than attempt to fill your empty head!’

He looked at her in amusement. ‘You’ve got a lot of anger bottled up there, Lockhart.’ She raised an eyebrow at him, but didn’t attempt to deny. ‘You should get laid. Great stress reliever.’

Artemis gave him what she hoped was a look of revulsion and disgust. ‘You are a filthy little berk.’

‘You are a neurotic bookworm.’ He leaned back in his chair, dark hair falling into his eyes. ‘So, are we going to get to the teaching or are you just going to continue to flirt with me?’

She opened the book so forcefully that the table shuddered. As she started explaining notes to Sirius, she felt to her annoyance that her cheeks were reddening. Through the whole lesson, she kept her eyes on the parchment in front of her, a string of swearwords running through her head. 

After what felt like an eternity, the clock read 6:30. Artemis dropped her pen and stuffed everything back into her schoolbag. She slung it over her shoulder, and got up to leave but Sirius’s dark eyes suddenly locked her own. He was staring right at her, a slightly amused expression on his face. 

‘I think I’d better lay you before next Wednesday, Lockhart, otherwise it’ll be another hour of sitting next to Miss Anal Retentive. How’s Friday for you? Heck, I’ll even get you flowers first.’ 

Artemis’s eyes widened in shock. She stuttered ‘You…you – argh!’ before almost running out of the room. She had power-walked almost all the way back to the common room before she slowed down, checked behind her shoulder, and let out a long breath.

_Sirius Black….SIRIUS BLACK just asked me out. Again!_ She checked herself, sternly. _Don’t be silly! He asked me out ages ago! Just now he was being his usual jerky, over-sexed self! Date, huh! He just wanted a fuck this weekend._

Hitching her bag back onto her shoulder, Artemis walked the rest of the way back to the common room, filled with righteous indignation that was surprisingly soothing. Unfortunately by the time she reached Gryffindor Tower her stomach was making loud, growling noises. Dumping her bag on an armchair, she turned and left the common room again, this time making her way to the Great Hall for some dinner. 

On the way, Artemis bumped into Lily Evans who was coming out of a Prefects’ bathroom. She smelled pleasantly of a scent that Artemis couldn’t identify. 

‘It’s sandalwood’, Lily said. ‘New scented soap they’ve put in the bath. Smells good, doesn’t it?’

‘Yeah! I’ll have to try it out myself! Although I’m still a bit partial to the meadowsweet one.’

Lily grinned. ‘Well, my choice of favourite kind of depends on what James likes. Since he’s the one that usually smells me.’ They both laughed. ‘So, um, how was the first session with Sirius?’

‘Great. He asked me out.’

Lily laughed, then said, ‘Wait, are you serious? That’s a bit…unexpected.’

‘Yeah well, in his words he wanted to ‘lay me before next class’. He’s a real romantic.’ She rolled her eyes, and Lily laughed again.

‘Ah well, somehow all the girls seem to love him.’ They reached the Gryffindor table and sat down. ‘In fact, I think you’re the only girl who’s ever said ‘no’ for a date to him.’

‘Who’s this?’ James strolled up, and kissed Lily’s head. ‘Mm, you smell good. So who’s Artemis turning down?’

Artemis blushed, but composedly swallowed her mouthful of potatoes before replying ‘Sirius Black.’

‘Oh.’ James’s expression became carefully neutral, but he said ‘Ah well, it’s about time someone told him to fuck off. Good on you, Arty.’

‘Arty told someone to fuck off?’ Remus had walked up behind James without her noticing. She felt the lump return to her throat but distracted herself by taking another huge mouthful of food. Remus slid into a seat across from her, next to James and Lily. 

‘Padfoot’, said James conversationally. ‘He asked her out, she said no.’

Artemis was amazed by the whole conversation, and even more by Remus’s obvious lack of concern or anger about the information that one of his best friends had asked out his _very_ recently ex-girlfriend. In fact, he seemed as amused as James that Sirius had finally been rejected.

She was conflicted between feeling upset that he’d moved on so fast, or proud that she’d been the first and only girl to reject the high-and-mighty Sirius Black. This happy thought stayed with her until the person in question came sauntering up, followed closely by Peter Pettigrew. 

‘Did you have a little cry in the loos then, Padfoot?’ said James. Sirius slid into the empty seat next to Artemis, much to her irritation. 

‘What’re you on about Prongs?’ He reached, very rudely, across her plate to grab the bowl of roasted vegetables. 

James said, ‘On account of Artemis here turning you down for a date this weekend.’

Sirius stared at him for a second, then shrugged. ‘I felt I had to do my community service for the year.’

Artemis finally put down her spoon and looked him in the eye. ‘What is _that_ supposed to mean?’

‘It means’, said Sirius in a voice dripping with sarcasm, ‘that I felt obliged to offer my body for the good of all. Your being less of a tight-ass would benefit the wider community greatly. Pass the gravy.’ He motioned to the porcelain gravy boat on her right. 

The others were all laughing, but as discreetly as possible. Artemis took a deep breath and said, ‘You are, without any doubt, the most _disgusting_ , heinous excuse for a human being that I’ve ever met. I’m surprised that you can still walk around with that fat head of yours!’ 

She grabbed the gravy boat, and overturned the entire contents onto Sirius’s plate. It drowned the vegetables and splashed onto his front. She then got up and stalked away, but could still hear everyone around them roaring with laughter and James saying ‘Steady on, mate. I had to ask Lils out about 100 times before she said yes!’

In her hurry to leave the Great Hall (the gravy splash had attracted lots of attention and her face was rapidly going from pinkish to bright red), she almost fell over Frank Longbottom as he was walking past her. 

‘Sorry Frank!’ She didn’t stop and continued through the large doors leading into the Entrance Hall. 

‘Artemis!’ She swung around to see a large group of Slytherin sixth and seventh years heading towards the Great Hall. The person who’d called her, Rabastan Lestrange, stood in the middle of the group. 

Tall and thin, Rabastan was considered one of the handsomer males of Hogwarts. His dark hair was long enough to be tied into a small ponytail at the nape of his neck, and he had a perpetual five o’ clock shadow. Artemis, who was quite small, always felt intimidated by Rabastan’s tendency to loom over people. 

‘Finished dinner?’ He seemed to be holding the whole group up to have a banal conversation with her. 

‘Yeah, I’m going back up to my common room.’

Rabastan smirked. ‘I’ve heard that the Gryffindor tower stinks, no matter how much the house-elves try to clean it.’

‘All that Mudblood stench is hard to get rid of’, said someone in the group. Artemis glared at the whole lot of them, then turned back to Rabastan. 

‘Look, Lestrange. What do you want?’

‘Ah, I think we can use first names now Artemis. We’re very well acquainted.’ 

She snorted. ‘Coming around to tea once during the hols doesn’t make us bosom buddies.’

‘Don’t worry yourself, Artemis. I don’t plan on being your bosom buddy. But we will get to know each other very well. Eventually.’

‘You wish.’ Artemis turned to go. She wanted to get away from the whole posse of Slytherins, and most of all Rabastan, and return to the comfort and security of Gryffindor Tower. Rabastan’s hand circling her upper arm stopped her. 

She felt his mouth near her ear. ‘Just try not to get too attached with the Mudblood filth. You don’t really belong there.’ He let her go with a slight push towards the stairs, and she felt rather than saw him walk away with his housemates. 


	4. Rejection and Recognition

**‘Chapter Three: Rejection and Recognition**

The Lockharts were an old wizarding family, very old. In fact, they were supposedly distant descendants of Helga Huffepuff through their relations with the Smiths. Pure-blooded and proud, their family crest read ‘Ever Brighter’ in Latin ‘ _Umquam Perspicuus’_. Although not quite as poor as the Weasleys, the Lockharts weren’t terribly rich either. The ancestral home made by Orestes Lockhart in the thirteenth century AD stood on the outskirts of London, a dilapidated ruin to Muggles but an elegant yet sober house to magical eyes. 

Home. For many years, the Lockhart children had spent almost their whole lives within the walls of that house. Like all old wizarding families, they had an active social life and regularly met and dined with others so there was no shortage of entertainment.

Glideroy was the golden boy, the apple of his parents’ eye, being born with great anticipation and jubilation. Artemis, as the first child, was special and valued but Gilderoy was the cherished heir. It would have been easy for Artemis to fade into the background amidst the outpouring of adoration for her young sibling. For many years she had been in danger of doing as much – she kept to her room and preferred to read, write fantastical stories or simply sing to herself than join in the petty conversation of other children her age. 

‘What a pity, what a pity’, people used to say quietly. That a daughter of the Lockhart house would be so odd, so lacking in the drive that seemed to be crucial to every other member of her family and friends. In fact, it had been rumoured that she was a Squib, as she was approaching ten without having ever shown any signs of magical potential. Instead of preventing these rumours from reaching his young daughter’s ears, her father had allowed her to hear, hoping it would spur her to perform some sort of magic.

When the letter had come from Hogwarts that morning, her mother had almost wept with joy. Her father, usually so serious, had smiled and hugged her and both had said how proud they were. At least she had magic in her somewhere, although she was obviously not too gifted in it. 

Apprehensive and unconfident, Artemis had stepped onto the Hogwarts Express for the first time. She was not lonely – family friends were plenty both in her year and above, familiar faces she had grown up with. She sat that first journey with old acquaintances Narcissa Black and Marielle Flint. Both other girls were starting in her year. The girls had chatted comfortably throughout the long journey, gossiping, predicting their future Houses, swapping tips on magical hair-curling. Artemis spent her time staring out at the wild scenery, gripped with fear. Everyone expected nothing, that she would be nothing but ordinary or worse.

The Sorting had changed all that. As soon as the Sorting Hat opened its brim to roar ‘Gryffindor’ she knew that she was not ordinary. Ordinary were the cousins gaping at her from the Hufflepuff table as she stepped down. Ordinary would have been joining them. She was the first Lockhart or Smith in eight generations to be Sorted outside of Hufflepuff. 

Soon, the predictions of her unremarkable future melted away as she – spurred on by her breakaway from the ordinary – continued to shatter her childhood image of the shy, retreating, ungifted child. Her school reports came back almost glowing with praises from her teachers. She was lively, friendly, kind and hot-tempered, and with her new Gryffindor family she found a sense of belonging that had never existed in her world at home. 

Although at first not the closest of friends, she had found comfort and kinship with the other Gryffindor girls in her year; in particular the fiery and vivacious Lily Evans. 

Lily and Artemis had certainly not started out as bosom buddies. The first time they’d met had been on the Hogwarts Express, when Lily had asked whether dragons were real. Artemis often felt a bit embarrassed by how cuttingly she’d said ‘Yes, of course!’ and looked at the other girl like she was a complete moron. It was not until Lily had done better than her in the first year exams that Artemis had sat up and taken notice. From then on, the two of them had naturally grown in companionship after being thrown together continually: from academic rivalry to Prefect meetings to dating boys who were best friends. 

It was only in her fifth year that she had ventured towards romance for the first time. Remus Lupin had been gentle and mysterious and she found him funny and charming and serious all at the same time. But she had been hesitant – the Artemis Lockhart that everyone knew at school was friendly and practical. Artemis’s hard-won victory over her childhood demons wouldn’t allow her to throw that all away and show herself to anyone, even Remus. She had continued to be ‘Artemis Lockhart’ the Friend throughout their whole relationship, although at times she almost knew that Remus knew it was a bit of a show, her perpetually smiling face. Still, she believed in love, and if love meant wanting to make the other person happy then she had loved him.

                                                        *  
 

Although she was sure Sirius had not read through the notes she had given him the previous week, she asked him anyway.

‘I forgot. Sorry.’ His tone and expression was anything but. Artemis sighed; she had long since figured out that making Sirius Black pass Transfiguration and thereby relieving herself of this chore would be more difficult than she’d thought. It was so unfair. Remus had been made to scrape dried slime off a couple of Fire Crabs for Professor Kettleburn. He’d finished weeks ago with only a few minor burns. And here she was, one month on, still stuck with Mr. I’m-Too-Sexy-For-Transfiguration every Wednesday for an hour. 

‘Its _vertoroculus_ , not _ventoroculus_.’ Today’s lesson was trying to perfect the difficult Transformation spells relating to the body. Sirius had meant to change her eye colour from dark-brown to green, but instead had managed to send a blast of wind through the room and knock over several desks. A previous attempt had already turned her right eye bright orange.

‘What are you, a mind reader?’ he snapped at her. They’d been trying for close to half an hour. 

She rolled her eyes. ‘It’s pretty obvious you have no idea what you’re doing. And it’s also very easy to guess what spell you’re using instead. Say it aloud first, and when you actually do it properly then go non-verbal.’

He glared at her, but raised his wand and pointed it at her left eye. ‘ _Vertoroculus_! Er – it worked. Sort of.’

Artemis grabbed the mirror she’d brought and looked. The bottom half of her left eye was green – a putrid, vomit type of green. ‘You idiot.’

‘It’s green! You didn’t say what _type_ of green it had to be!’

‘It’s only half-green and I said try and make them the same colour as Lily’s!’

‘Why, are you jealous of Lily’s eyes?’ Sirius laughed mockingly. Artemis went red. She was jealous of Lily, but not because of her eyes.

‘Firstly, it’s none of your business! Secondly…just do the spell again!’

He laughed and lifted his wand, this time pointing at the right eye. 

‘Just concentrate’, she said softly. ‘Concentrate on the colour, what you want to happen.’

‘ _Vertoroculus_!’ He lowered his wand hand, and then gestured towards the mirror. Artemis looked.

Her eyes were dark-brown again, just the way they were naturally. She looked up at him in surprise.

He half-shrugged. ‘They look best that way.’ 

Artemis felt her cheeks colouring again and looked down in embarrassment and – to her surprise – pleasure at the compliment hidden there. ‘Well at least you can do the spell properly. Now’ she turned back to the notes, ‘why was this spell briefly banned in 1594?’

‘I have no idea.’

‘Black!’

‘Lockhart.’ He looked at her intently. She had to stop herself from leaning away. 

‘What?’

‘Nothing.’ He smiled at her. It was a small, secretive smile. Unnerved, Artemis tried to continue with the lesson, but suddenly there was a new tension between the two of them. There were a few more banters in the remaining twenty minutes, but something had changed. Artemis couldn’t quite place it. 

In the end, they ended up walking back to the common room together. Since Sirius had only been fifteen minutes late this week, there was plenty of time to spare before dinner. 

As they entered after giving the password (‘candlesticks’), Sirius nudged Artemis while getting through the portrait hole. 

‘Ow!’ She shoved him back a little. He looked at her in annoyance.

‘What was that for?’

‘You just shoved me!’ James, Remus, Lily, Peter and Imelda were seating by the fire. Sirius and Artemis made their way over, stepping over first-years sprawled on the floor playing Gobstones. 

‘I did not!’ Sirius dumped himself into an armchair next to Peter, while Artemis slid in beside Remus. Ordinarily the proximity to him would have made her heart ache but at the moment she was too caught up with Sirius to notice too much. 

‘You did! God, just admit you did it!’

‘You know Lockhart, you’re so desperate to make me admit I shoved you…anyone would think it was _you_ who couldn’t keep their hands off me!’

‘Whaaa…you must be hitting the Firewhisky a bit harder than usual these days, Black.’

‘Come on, Lockhart. Not that I blame you or anything’, he smirked, ‘I mean, I am a fine piece of ass.’

She laughed shortly. ‘You’re just an ass, period.’

‘Ooo, she got you there Padfoot’, said James, laughing.

‘Yeah you kinda walked into that one, mate’, said Remus in agreement. Artemis laughed too, and said, ‘See, I win.’

Sirius looked at her, a dangerously seductive smile on his face. ‘And here’s your prize. Me. And you. Next Friday.’

There was an awkward pause as the whole group looked from Sirius to Artemis to observe her response. She laughed – the whole mock-love/hate thing between them was hilarious! – and replied ‘Yeah, maybe in your dreams Black.’

‘No, in yours.’ 

He looked at her a little strangely, then got up and walked away. There was a moment of uneasy tension in the group before Peter squawked as an ember jumped out of the hearth and onto his robes; the group dissolved into laughter again. 

A few minutes later, Artemis looked over her shoulder as the others were talking and saw Sirius sitting with a pretty sixth year. He already had his arm around her shoulder and she was gazing into his eyes like he was the last man alive. She turned away as his head tilted in for the kiss, a strange feeling in her stomach. 

_Sirius Black just asked me out again. That’s three times and twice in a fortnight._ She stared into the fireplace, lost to the conversation around her, pondering this bizarre turn of events. _He can’t seriously want to date me…can he?_

She turned back again to see Sirius and the sixth year wound around each other so tightly they seemed like a strange beast with four arms and no head. She whipped her head around quickly, feeling embarrassed at her own thoughts. _Idiot. If he really wanted to date you, he wouldn’t be snogging someone else right in front of you! But asking me out like that…_

Lily laughed loudly at something James had said, and Artemis’s eyes fell on them. Then it hit her. _He’s making fun of me. He’s doing what James did with Lily…only he doesn’t actually want to go out with me. He knows I’m jealous…. That – that slimy git! He’s doing it for a laugh!_

She clenched her fists in an effort to stop the prickling in her eyes from turning into tears. 

‘Hey Arty, what’s wrong’, Imelda said, looking concerned. ‘You look like you’ve got a bellyache.’

‘Um…I’m just hungry, that’s all.’ Artemis smiled, with effort. ‘Lunch was rubbish today.’

Talking about food was a sure way to distract boys. James was already off.

‘You’re crazy Arty. That was the best damn lamb casserole I’ve ever had! Wasn’t it, Moony?’

‘My mum’s is better.’

‘No way!’

Artemis joined in the discussion cheerfully, purposely not allowing herself to move in her chair lest her eyes see the goings-on at the back of the room.

                                                        *  
 

The Gryffindor and Hufflepuff Quidditch team’s annual tryouts were held that Sunday afternoon. Since it was bucketing down with rain, most of the usually eager spectators had given it a miss and opted for the warmth and comfort of the common room instead. Still, a few loyal supporters were huddled under giant umbrellas high in the stands. Among them were Lily and Artemis. Lily had come to watch James re-qualify. Artemis had come to cheer on Gilderoy’s attempt to become a Beater for Hufflepuff. 

Gryffindor took the pitch first. Lily and Artemis cheered and whistled as James effortlessly sped around the huge pitch, punching the Quaffle through the goals fifteen times in a row, getting past the stand-in Keeper every time. After it was clear he was in, he began to show off a little, performing loop-the-loops and corkscrews until the Hufflepuff Captain Liam Bartleby told him to get off the pitch or he would see him benched for the year.

He complied as the Gryffindors made way for the Hufflepuffs, and instead of going back to the locker rooms flew into the spectator stands. 

‘Brilliant, as usual.’ He grinned and shook the water out of his messy hair. Both girls squealed as the raindrops spattered their cloaks. 

‘And modest, as usual’, said Lily wryly, as he sat down next to her.

‘No point beating around the bush’, he said, winking at Artemis over Lily’s head. ‘Hey, it’s really warm here!’

Artemis pointed at the seat below them, where they’d perched a glass bottle containing a bright blue flame. ‘We’re witches, James; we’re not going to freeze if we don’t have to.’

‘Who’s complaining’, he said, pulling off his riding gloves and warming his hands against the fire. ‘I’m surprised to see you here though, Artemis. You’re practically allergic to the cold, even if you can do magic. I thought you hated this weather.’

She shrugged. If people knew anything about Artemis, they knew she wanted to write for the _Daily Prophet_ and she hated the cold with a passion. Unfortunately the Scottish weather at Hogwarts meant that she was indoors for most of the year to escape the rain and chill. 

‘My brother’s trying out for Beater. I promised I’d come and watch him.’ She pointed as a thin, weedy figure entered the pitch far below them. He was carrying his new Cleansweep Five (the latest model) and looked rather like a blonde, drowned rodent. James laughed, but stopped himself at Lily’s look.

‘He’s, er – very slight.’

‘He’s pathetic’, Artemis sighed. ‘I don’t know why he’s so set on getting into the team.’

‘Well, it’s a great way to get a date’, said James. ‘Ooph!’ Lily punched him in the stomach. ‘What? It’s true!’

‘You talk too much, James. Just shut up.’

‘Anything for you, dear’, said James sweetly, kissing her ear. She flapped him away but was smiling. 

They watched as Liam Bartleby handed Gilderoy a Beater’s bat. He turned away before he saw Gilderoy drop it almost immediately. Gilderoy then grabbed in with both arms and tugged it up, hugging it close to his chest to prevent it dropping again. It seemed to be quite an effort. Artemis felt embarrassed for him.

He and another third-year hopeful mounted their brooms and kicked off. The other boy rose fairly steadily; Gilderoy shot up like a rocket, and was already thirty feet above the ground when Bartleby yelled at him to descend. Then he released the Bludgers.

They swooped around the pitch, one going for each of the boys. The other third-year flew away for a while before trying to loop around the Bludger to get behind it. It almost worked – it managed to hit the end of his broomstick and sent him into a spin. He controlled himself and brought his bat around to give the Bludger a huge wallop. His friends in the stands cheered loudly.

Gilderoy was so far trying to evade his Bludger while keeping a hold of his bat. He sped across the pitch, and had to swerve to avoid smashing into a Goal as it suddenly appeared through the rain. The Bludger continued to pursue him.

Bartleby shouted something from the ground. Gilderoy obviously didn’t pay attention; he was too busy avoiding the Bludger.

‘Why isn’t he hitting it?’ said James impatiently. Artemis’s eyes were locked onto her brother.

Suddenly the bat slipped in his hand, and almost fell. It caused Gilderoy to stop momentarily in order to grab hold of it again, long enough for the pursuing Bludger to catch up.

_Whack!_ There was a sickening crunch as the Bludger collided with his stomach, winding him and knocking his broom back several feet.

‘Gilderoy!’ Artemis jumped to her feet. Bartleby was up next to him in an instant. He grabbed the Beater’s bat and whacked away the Bludger that had come back for seconds, before grabbing hold of Gilderoy by the shoulders and putting him onto his own broom. The Cleansweep then fell slowly back to the ground.

Artemis hurried down the hundreds of stairs and ran across the pitch, cursing the stinging rain and the cold as her boots slopped on the muddy ground. James and Lily hurried behind her.

‘Gilderoy!’ He was lying on the ground – conscious and dazed, curled up over his stomach. He moaned quietly. She turned to Bartleby, a tall black boy with a deep voice. ‘Is he ok?’

‘Should be’, Bartleby replied, ‘once we get him to the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey’ll deal with him.’ He turned to James, who had just caught up. ‘Potter, take him up, will you? I’ve got to finish tryouts.’

James nodded, and bent over to lift up Gilderoy, who groaned. His yellow hair was plastered to his pale face – he looked even more like a drowned rat now. The three of them walked up to the castle.

Once Gilderoy was tucked into a nice warm bed and Madam Pomfrey had healed the mass of bruises on his torso, Artemis let fly.

‘Are you happy? This is what you get for trying to act all macho and grown-up Gilderoy!’ She stood glowering over him, arms akimbo. Gilderoy pouted at her.

‘It wasn’t that bad!’

‘You almost fell off your broomstick forty feet in the air! You could have died, you idiot! Why did you try out for Beater? You know you aren’t that…strong.’

Gilderoy looked upset; his eyes were shining with tears. Artemis looked at him and sighed. She hated it when he cried; it made her feel so guilty. She sat down next to him on the bed.

‘Why don’t you wait a few years, and try out again when you’re a bit bigger?’ She smoothed his fair hair off his face. ‘The Quidditch team will still be there.’

‘B-but Father was a Beater in third-year.’

‘You’re not Father’, she pointed out, ‘and you don’t have to be, either. You only have to be Gilderoy Lockhart.’

‘But I’m not good at school like you, Arty’, he whined. ‘And now…I’m not good at Quidditch either. What else is there?’

‘Er – you’re good at…at…you have a very nice smile, Gilderoy. And, um, you’re good at telling stories. Remember when we used to make up all those adventure stories when we were little? Yours were always so exciting!’

He was thoughtful for a moment, then nodded slowly. Artemis let out a deep breath of relief. She got up to go (it was getting late and she had homework to finish before tomorrow) but Gilderoy suddenly put his arms around her waist and hugged her.

‘You’re a good sister’, he said, his voice muffled. ‘Thanks for coming to watch. Even though –’

‘I won’t tell Father, ok?’ she said, patting his head. ‘He doesn’t have to know.’

He nodded, and she smiled and left the hospital wing.

                                                 *  


Now that Artemis had begun to understand the reason behind Sirius’s strange behaviour, she was finding it hard not to slap him every time he spoke to her – which wasn’t that often in everyday life. But for an hour or so a week, they were completely left in each other’s company, and there was no one else to talk to. 

She had taken to not making eye-contact if that was possible. Looking up into those dark eyes caused a little stab of anger, shame and jealousy that reminded her even more acutely of the ever-present ache in her heart over Remus. 

Sirius, it seemed, was doing his best to make her even more uncomfortable. This included odd looks, grins, and extremely inappropriate comments about the two of them.

‘So Lockhart….what did you get up to after the Halloween feast?’

He was rocking back and forth on his chair. It was so distracting, and it made his dark hair fall into his eyes. Artemis tried not to look up, but she already had before she could stop herself.

‘Not that it’s any of your business or anything…’ she said sarcastically, casting her eye on her watch. There were only five minutes left – she gave up on getting any more actual work done this time. 

‘All the Gryffindor women are my business, darling’, he drawled, ‘and you, by some twist of fate, are in Gryffindor. But don’t evade – what did you get up to?’

She deliberately took her time, shuffling parchments together and putting them into her bag before answering.

‘I was reading a book in my dorm. Then I went to bed.’

Predictably, he snorted with laughter. ‘I don’t get it Lockhart. Here I am, offering to take away one of those lonely nights, and you’d rather spend your nights reading some made-up crap?’

‘Are you asking me out again?’ She was half-afraid to hear the answer, but again she had to look up. 

‘Yep. You know you want me bad. Who wouldn’t?’

This time she was prepared. Although everything felt on the inside was the same, she refused to show her hurt on her face. _He must think this is really funny._ She remained as impassive as possible, and finished packing her bag then stood up.

‘Drop dead, Black.’ She walked out of the room, but knew that he was looking at her from the way her back prickled. Her whole face was on fire with the humiliation of it. 

_At least this time everyone else didn’t see._

As if to make things worse, she turned out of the classroom and ran smack into the only person who she wanted to see less than Sirius. 

‘Hey’, Remus said quietly, smiling gently. The gentleness in that smile nearly undid her; she abandoned composure and nearly ran back in the direction of Gryffindor Tower. Away from Sirius, away from Remus, away from pain.

                                                  *  
 

Remus sighed as he watched Artemis disappear down the corridor; her expression moments before had been so transparent. Artemis tried to be very closed up and secretive – in reality what she felt and thought were usually written plainly in her face. This time he could almost feel the hurt, the confusion in her eyes. 

He entered the classroom. Sirius was making a paper aeroplane whiz around the perimeter of the room.

‘I just bumped into Artemis’, he said, although he knew Sirius knew that. ‘She seemed…upset.’

‘Yeah. She’s a moody one. Hormonal, practically. One minute she’s all happy, next she’s the Ice Queen and the next she’s about to blow your bloody head off.’ He flicked his wand; the plane started dive bombing actions.

‘Did you ask her out again?’

‘Sort of.’

‘Why? You’ve already asked her twice. She’s already said no _twice_!’

He shrugged. ‘I like the chase.’ It was a lame, see-through answer and he knew it. Sirius only went for girls he knew were going to say yes; so basically every girl bar Lily Evans, and Artemis Lockhart.

Remus retorted, ‘You said you didn’t fancy her any more.’

‘I don’t! It’s just for fun, alright?’ He looked up at Remus’s sceptical face and sighed exasperatedly. ‘Look Remus, I’m not in love with Lockhart or anything! And what the fuck’s wrong with you? She’s your ex-girlfriend and all you can do is offer me counselling for getting rejected? Aren’t you upset at all?’

‘That you’re asking her out?’ He shook his head. ‘I’m not upset; I _want_ her to date someone else.’

‘You realise she’ll probably be shagging someone else soon?’

‘Sooner that happens, the happier she’ll be.’

‘What about you?’

Remus looked at him in annoyance. ‘What _about_ me?’

‘Moony – I thought…’

‘That I loved her?’ Sirius nodded tersely. Remus said, ‘I did. I do. But the fact of the matter is I’m not _in_ love with her. She wasn’t _in_ love with me. You can’t go on like that forever pretending it’ll happen one day.’

‘So you want her to shag someone else?’

‘I want her to be happy’, Remus said carefully. ‘I want her to fall in love for real.’

‘This is way too deep for me, mate’, Sirius said, getting out of his chair. ‘I just wanted a hook-up and even that sent her off the deep-end.’

‘Well, she’s still not over the break-up’ his friend replied, ‘but I wouldn’t pack it in just yet. Wait for a while, and ask her again. And be _nice_ , don’t be such a prat!’

‘Whaddya mean, I’m _always_ nice!’ said Sirius with mock indignation. But he nodded all the same. 


	5. Hide and Seek

**Chapter Four: Hide and Seek**

The first Hogsmeade weekend of the year had come just in time for most students, but especially for fifth and seventh years, who had spent the first two months of school being inundated with homework, assignments and tests. The morning dawned cold but clear, and students bundled up to protect themselves against the wind. 

Unfortunately for James Potter, this weekend coincided with a day-long Quidditch practice. After having captained the Gryffindor team for three years, Tom Wood would be damned if he had to hand over the Quidditch Cup in his final year at Hogwarts. This meant, therefore, more practice in spare time. Despite the whinging of many team members (including James) he’d been unmoveable. So that morning as the rest of the school from third-year up chattered excitedly about spending the day in Hogsmeade, the six team members stared sullenly at their bowls of porridge. 

James picked at his bacon morosely; he had been looking forward to exploring the new range of products at Zonko’s with Sirius. They were very regular patrons. 

‘Cheer up, Prongs’ said Sirius, elbowing him. ‘I’ll console Madame Rosmerta – I’m sure she’ll have a good cry when she finds out you’re not coming!’ James gave him a haha-very-funny look and went back to his porridge, sighing.

‘Oh James, stop sulking like a baby!’ Lily snapped at him. ‘If you hate it so much why don’t you just quit, huh?’

James and Sirius looked at her quite oddly – give up Quidditch? That just wasn’t even in the realm of possibility. Sirius shook his head. ‘Women.’

‘You amaze me, Lily. It’s _Quidditch_.’

‘So?’ Lily raised an eyebrow at James, who decided it was better to perk up and finish his porridge than gather up the energy to face another lecture from his girlfriend. He shovelled a few spoonfuls in his mouth and grinned at her.

‘Disgusting’ she said, turning away. Artemis, who was sitting next to her, had been absorbed in the Daily Prophet and had missed the conversation. She looked up.

‘Who’s disgusting?’ Lily nodded in James’s direction – there was a trickle of porridge running down his chin and his cheeks were bulging. He grinned, his face looking grotesque.

‘Ew.’ They both laughed, then James laughed and promptly began to choke on his porridge. While he was hacking away, the others got up from the table.

As James was busy, Lily had asked Artemis to spend the day with her. Artemis had gladly agreed – she didn’t want to tag along with Imelda and her boyfriend, or even worse, with Remus and Sirius and Peter. 

The wind was freezing cold, so when they finally managed to enter the Three Broomsticks both girls felt like they’d bathed in ice. Shivering, they pulled off their gloves and unwound their scarves. Lily went to order two Butterbeers as Artemis gladly sunk down into a chair near the fireplace and felt warmth wash over her. 

As she waited, she looked around at the crowd. The Three Broomsticks was full of Hogwarts students, driven in by the miserable weather. To her left she saw Frank Longbottom (who she’d tripped over the other day) with his girlfriend Alice. Further past them were the Prewett twins – Gidgeon and Fabian, and their girlfriends of the week. And in the corner…Artemis frowned, and then her eyes widened as she realised what she was seeing. 

Sirius had his back to her, but she could see the face of the pale blonde girl with him. Her cheeks were flushed, her hands running all over his back. Artemis could make out Sirius’s profile as he turned slightly to kiss her lips.

She turned away sharply, feeling heat on her own cheeks. Lily had just come up with two bottles in her hand. She passed one to Artemis, looked at her curiously and said, ‘What’s wrong?’ Artemis said nothing, took a huge swallow of Butterbeer, and nodded in the direction of Sirius’s corner. Lily turned to look.

By now, the warmth from the Butterbeer was not so much of a comfort but made her feel even more uncomfortable. Her cheeks were on fire with humiliation and embarrassment. This, to her, was confirmation that Sirius Black had been making fun of her with his repeated offers and that he didn’t really feel anything for her at all. 

She stared into the fire, trying to blink away tears of anger and shame. _What a fool I am, for one little moment I almost thought – no! No, stop it!_ She tried very hard not to clench her fists. 

Lily put a hand over hers, and smiled. ‘Not jealous of Davidoff, are you?’ She inclined her head towards the blonde girl.

‘As if.’ Artemis avoided Lily’s eyes, until Lily laughed quietly. ‘What?’

‘You’re acting jealous’, Lily said.

‘I’m _not_ jealous. Just annoyed. At Black.’

‘Why’s that?’

‘Because he’s so irritating! He keeps asking me out. And he does it in a way that makes me seem like the one who’s desperate to date him!’

‘Well, James asked me out seventy-nine times before I said ‘yes’.’

Artemis rolled her eyes. ‘James was actually crazy about you. Everyone could see it except you! Sirius is just trying to screw with my head.’

‘You don’t know that.’

‘Hello? He’s over there snogging someone else! Not the act of a committed wooer!’

‘True’, said Lily, ‘but think about this. He’s asked you out like three times! When has Sirius Black a.k.a. Merlin’s-Gift-to-Women _ever_ been rejected for a date? _Ever?_ ’

‘Are you saying he’s only asking me out because I keep saying no?’

‘No!’ Lily shook her head impatiently. ‘I’m saying that he doesn’t go for girls who aren’t into him, so he never gets rejected. Until now, until you.’

‘I –’ Artemis sighed, looking back into the fire. She felt very confused, and more hurt than she should have been. _Why do I care if Sirius Black snogs another girl? I don’t care if he shags every female in Hogwarts! I am just being melodramatic and silly! I do NOT care about Sirius Black. I care about Remus. I love Remus._

She thought of Remus, and just then saw him pass by with Peter outside the Three Broomsticks through the window. Seeing him sent the familiar shot of pain through her heart, but she found herself unable to concentrate on him even though she wanted to. _Think about our first date, kissing him, the day he sent the letter._ She could only think of Sirius Black in the corner. 

Lily squeezed her hand gently. ‘Wanna go shopping? Retail therapy?’

Artemis realised that somehow she’d downed her whole Butterbeer. Nodding gratefully, she allowed Lily to pull her up, and tried not to turn her head or let her eyes stray towards the corner as they exited the Three Broomsticks.

Outside, it had started to snow. The girls hurried across to Honeydukes, where the smell of melting sugar was enough to make one’s mouth water. Just like the Three Broomsticks, Honeydukes was packed with Hogwarts students. It was so loud they had to almost shout to speak to each other.

‘Sugar quills are half-price!’ said Lily, pointing at the huge golden display in the middle of the shop. 

After Honeydukes, they moved on to Gladrags where they tried on all the latest in wizarding fashion and sighed at the price tags. Lily bought a new set of russet coloured dress robes, and Artemis a deep blue set. 

By now it was the late afternoon, and almost time to return to the school. The girls ducked into Scrivenshaft’s to pick up some last minute supplies. Artemis browsed through the parchment rolls as Lily picked out some new quills. 

Artemis heard the doorbell tinkle behind her; she froze as she heard a loud, boisterous voice say ‘Oi Peter, hurry up or you’ll freeze!’

As quickly as possible, she hid behind a roll of parchment almost tall as she was. From around the corner, she saw Sirius enter followed by a wet and bedraggled Peter, who was holding a large pile of Zonko shopping bags. She noted with surprise that Remus was not with them, and with a pang that Sirius’s mussed hair and flushed cheeks made him look even more desperately handsome than ever. 

‘Hi boys’, said Lily.

‘Hey, Red’ Sirius leant against the counter as Lily paid for her quills. ‘Where’s your shadow?’

‘Who?’

‘Lockhart. She’s always around you.’

‘Why do you even care, Sirius? You’re freaking obsessed with her! She’s Remus’s girlfriend, for Merlin’s sake!’

‘ _Ex_ -girlfriend, Ev. And mind your own damn business.’

‘You’re the one that asked _me_!’

‘Whatever. I’ll have to ask her out some other time. You heading back up now?’

‘Yeah, probably.’

‘Right. See you later then.’ He turned his heel and walked out, Peter following close behind. Artemis crouched down further behind the parchment as they went by the shop window – being seen now would be even more embarrassing. 

As soon as they were out of sight, she came out.

‘Did you hear?’ Lily asked. They began to walk back up to the castle.

Artemis nodded. ‘Yeah.’

‘What do you think?’

‘About what?’

Lily made an exasperated sound. ‘About Sirius…about what he said! He wants to ask you out again.’

‘Yeah well, I know why he’s doing it.’

‘Is this that whole ‘imitating James to humiliate you’ crap?’

‘Its _not_ crap!’ said Artemis. They had entered the Hogwarts grounds. Artemis thought longingly of the fireplace in the Gryffindor common room. ‘Come on, Lily, has Sirius _ever_ been interested in a girl who preferred reading to getting pissed?’

‘Well…no’, Lily said. ‘But remember Arty, he has asked you out since third year!’

‘He asked me out in third year. There’s no ‘since’. Its only recently he’s begun again.’

‘Yeah well, in all fairness, you were with Remus most of the time. That’s a bit off-putting.’

Artemis winced. ‘Thanks. That makes me feel so much better.’

‘Hello!?’ Lily smacked her arm. ‘The hottest guy in school keeps asking you out! You don’t need to feel better!’

‘The only guy I want to ask me anything is Remus’, sighed Artemis, as they entered the Entrance Hall. ‘But he – ooof! Oh sorry!’ She collided with someone, knocking both her’s and Lily’s shopping bags to the floor. She bent to pick them up and suddenly she was face to face with Rabastan Lestrange. His nose was less than ten centimetres away from hers, so close she could see her reflection clearly in his eyes. 

‘Here.’ He picked up one of the bags and handed it to her, stiffening when he caught sight of Lily next to her. His expression became one of distaste, and as he handed her the bag he said, ‘You shouldn’t be seen with filth like that, Artemis. One has a reputation to protect.’

‘Why you little prick!’ James came thundering up behind them, his wand already out, his Quidditch robes spattered in mud. He looked murderous. ‘Take that back!’

Rabastan just laughed. ‘You know it’s true, Potter. Maybe if you thought with your brain instead of your dick you’d – ’

‘Lestrange! Shut up!’ Artemis glared at him. ‘It’s none of your bloody business who I hang out with, so just go away!’

‘Actually Artemis’, he whispered as he leaned in close to her, ‘what you do is my business.’ And too quickly he had turned heel and was disappearing towards the dungeons. James was shouting obscenities in his wake, but Artemis stared after him, puzzled. His business? What did he mean?

                                                     *  
 

It was a Friday afternoon as well now. Sirius had finally passed his first assignment, and Artemis was so close to breaking out the Firewhisky to celebrate her release when McGonagall told her she was so impressed with Sirius’s improvement that she wanted him to take two lessons a week with her. Wednesdays and Fridays now. 

Artemis was shoving her books in her bag as quickly as she possibly could, and without saying any sort of goodbye hurried out of the classroom while Sirius’s eyes were still on the new set of notes she’d given him. 

Sirius looked up to see Artemis disappearing around the edge of the doorframe.

‘Hey! Wait!’ He ran after her, forgetting the notes on the table. ‘Oi! Lockhart!’

She was almost running to get away from him. Sirius, much the longer-legged, caught up with her in a few short strides. He grabbed her upper arm while slipping in front of her. Suddenly he was blocking off the whole corridor, standing right in front of her so she couldn’t see past him.

‘Let me go through!’ She tried to get past, but he would move left or right so she couldn’t. 

He had asked her again, just at the beginning of the lesson. This time he’d been nice even, no slurs or remarks about how much of a social loser she was. Nothing about Remus.

She had said no so violently one would imagine he had asked her to do something obscenely perverted with him – which surely dinner and a walk round the Lake were not. 

‘Black! Stop it, let me go!’ Artemis tried to slip under one of his arms, but he caught her and pushed her back. She stared at him breathlessly, her chest heaving slightly. 

‘Why do you keep saying no? Go out with me.’

She looked away, biting her lip. Sirius kept looking at her, trying to calm himself down. But she refused to meet his eyes; his frustration and impatience got the better of him.

‘What? Why aren’t you saying anything? Don’t tell me you’re still pining for Moony!’ 

Artemis’s eyes were suddenly boring into the carpet.

‘Look, it’s obvious he’s moved on! He doesn’t give a fuck about what you’re doing! Everyone knows it except you!’

He could see her cheeks reddening, her body stiffening. It was upsetting her; he was glad. It was time she finally stopped this melodramatic bullshit and got some handle on her life. 

He continued relentlessly. ‘And another thing – what makes you think you can be so damn picky? You act like every bloke is running after you, and you just have to _choose_ one that’s worthy of you! Well let me tell you something, no one’s going to wait around for your highness to make a decision! We all have lives to live, and we’ll survive without _you_! So stop being such a fucking drama queen and get a life!’

Her eyes met his so quickly that it startled him. They were almost crackling with angry electricity, and – he noticed with slight shock – were full of tears. Her lower lip was trembling.

‘You… _bastard_! You can go fuck yourself silly for all I care, because I know exactly what you’re trying to do with this ‘go out with me’ bullshit!’ She looked as though she was about to take a swing at him with her schoolbag. ‘Well, you can go celebrate because congratulations! You’ve done it! You’re there! I’m a loser and everyone knows it! Now let me go.’

Sirius’s jaw dropped. She tried to slip past again. This time he shoved her back.

‘What in fuck’s name are you taking about?’

‘This…you…you asking me out again and again. I know…you’re imitating James with Lily. You know I’m jealous of her – of them. I know you think I screwed over Remus…or maybe you want to prove that I’m a loser. That I’m not cool like you. I get it, ok? You’ve proved your point, and I get it. You don’t have to keep asking me for fake dates just to make me look like a bitter bitch – everyone knows it’s true. You can stop it…I can’t – please, just leave me alone!’

She ran past him, her shoulder brushing his. He stumbled back, but didn’t go after her. 


	6. Divination and Care of Magical Creatures

**Chapter Five: Divination and Care of Magical Creatures**

It was the day before the full moon, which meant the usual Marauder meeting in the Room of Requirement. And what they ‘required’ every month included a bar of fresh pumpkin juice, chocolate frogs and pasties. James and Sirius were sprawled across the couches reading, Remus was on an armchair. Peter was by the food, stuffing pasties into his face as fast as possible. 

‘Hey, Sirius’, said Remus.

‘Mm?’ Sirius frowned over his copy of _World Wizarding Economist_ as he spoke.

‘Can I borrow your dress robes next Saturday?’

‘Mm.’

‘Oi! Sirius, pay attention!’

‘Mm.’

‘Hey Sirius’, Remus said, ‘how’s it going with Artemis?’

‘Whaaa –’ Sirius dropped the magazine onto the floor. He glared at Remus – and James who was now laughing – and picked up his magazine again. ‘Dammit I lost my page!’

‘Yeah, Padfoot’, said James, poking his leg. ‘How is it going with Lockhart? She said yes yet?’

Sirius didn’t look up. Remus and James exchanged glances.

‘Well’, said James. ‘I heard that she cried last time you asked.’

‘Holy shit, you made her cry?’ Remus laughed. ‘You must have totally lost your touch!’

‘Can’t lose what you don’t have’, said Lily. The boys all looked up as she entered the room and sat down on a beanbag next to Remus. ‘What?’ They all stared at her. ‘Everyone knows you guys come down here every so often. We all just figured you were having gay sex orgies or something equally pleasant.’

‘Excuse me!?’ James’s mouth was hanging open. ‘What!?’

‘Oh, it’s time you knew darling’. She wiggled a little to settle in. ‘Besides it’s better than everyone finding out why you _really_ come in here every month.’

‘What do you mean?’ James said, his eyes narrowed suspiciously. Lily sighed with impatience.

‘Your full moon jaunts around the castle grounds? As animals? Don’t think it’s gone unnoticed.’ James’s mouth dropped, along with Remus’s. Peter choked on a pastie. Sirius stared at Lily over _World Wizarding Economist_ , pop-eyed.

‘Er…’ said Remus, looking like he was doing some fast thinking, ‘I don’t know what you think you saw, Lily, but – ’

Lily gave him a very level look, and _he_ sighed, looking resigned.

‘How long have you known?’ he asked.

‘Since the end of fifth year’, Lily said. ‘Artemis and I figured it out just before O.W.L.s actually; all that study on identifying werewolves – ’

‘Artemis knows?’ said Remus, sounding shocked. He went pale. Sirius was now trying to read his magazine without appearing to listen to the conversation. ‘About…me? About what I am?’

Lily nodded. ‘She didn’t want to believe it, but…it made sense. I didn’t really want to, either. I mean, Remus Lupin and werewolf? It’s not really the most likely conclusion to jump to.’

‘But you never said anything’, said James, awestruck. ‘You never even mentioned it!’

‘It was Arty’, said Lily, ‘she – she made me promise not to even talk about it to her, because someone might overhear, and Remus would be expelled or – or worse. And besides’, she turned to Remus now, ‘I think she was waiting for you to tell her yourself. But you never did.’

Remus’s voice was hoarse. ‘I was too afraid…I thought she would hate me…or fear me. She would have the right to.’ 

Lily shook her head, looking impatient again. ‘Well that’s not here nor there. You two are over, and it’s time to move on to more _important things._ ’ She grinned. ‘Like Sirius and Artemis. You were talking about them when I came in, right?’ 

‘Right!’ said James enthusiastically though he still looked a bit stunned. Sirius was still studiously studying his magazine. Remus smiled slightly, but he was obviously still shell-shocked.

‘Why does she keep saying ‘no’?’ asked Peter.

‘She thinks he’s making fun of her rather than actually wanting to go out with her’, Remus replied. 

‘It’s kinda your fault’, Lily told him. Remus nodded. ‘If you hadn’t broken up with her…anyway, the point is that _you_ ’ she looked at Sirius, ‘are going about it all wrong!’

‘Ok, what is the big deal!?’ Sirius finally looked up, glaring around the room. ‘It’s just one fucking girl – have you noticed that the school’s full of them?’

‘Come off it’. James reached over, grabbed his magazine and smacked Sirius over the head. ‘You don’t ask girls out more than once ever! Except Lockhart.’ 

Sirius rolled his eyes.

‘You should stop acting like such a git and start being a bit nicer to her. You can start by not constantly talking about what a stud you are!’ Lily returned his glare. 

‘I – ’ Sirius opened his mouth, and shut it again when he realized he had nothing to say. Lily grinned. 

‘I _don’t_ care. I don’t!’

Remus and James both snorted.

‘You’ve been moping about all week, loverboy.’

‘Yeah, you have.’

‘I don’t _care_. Now give me my goddamn magazine back.’

                                                      *  
 

‘Alright, alright…I care. A bit.’ Sirius threw his fork across the table in the direction of Artemis. She was sitting across from the Hufflepuff table talking to Magnus MacMillan, the tallest, blondest, simplest boy in Hogwarts. Magnus was smiling and nodding emphatically as Artemis related something to him accompanied with emphatic hand gestures. 

‘What is she talking to that idiot about?’ Sirius growled. Everyone laughed.

‘Isn’t he her Herbology partner?’ said James.

Remus nodded and punched Sirius’s shoulder playfully. ‘It didn’t worry me much when we were together, Padfoot. He’s way too stupid for her.’

‘Yeah well…that’s true.’ He grinned and retrieved another fork and began digging into his breakfast. They watched as Magnus laughed so hard he began choking on his scrambled eggs. Artemis grabbed a goblet of pumpkin juice and shoved it into his hand while his face turned bright red. ‘That bloke – dumbest kids ever.’

‘Yeah well’, Lily said wryly, cutting though the laughter, ‘that doesn’t really solve _your_ problem, does it?’

Sirius scowled at her and shoved another forkful of eggs into his mouth.

‘I don’t _have_ a problem. Its just one girl. No big deal.’

‘Keep telling yourself that’, she replied, ‘in the meantime _I_ have the solution to your dilemma. But I guess you don’t want to hear it because you don’t have a ‘problem’’ she made rabbits-ears with her fingers, ‘so I’ll just see you guys in class.’

‘Hey I want to hear it!’ said Peter.

‘Me too!’ said James, ‘Maybe I can find out how to trade up. Ow!’ Lily smacked him in the arm as she sat back down.

‘It’s fairly simple. If you want to get a girl to take you seriously, then start by getting to know her! Find out what she’s like, what are her hobbies, what’s her favourite colour…become her friend!’

‘I don’t want to be her friend! I’ve got enough friends!’

‘That’s not the point! She isn’t going to want anything to do with you unless you convince her you actually like her. That you’re interested in her!’

‘I already asked her out. Generally I only ask out girls that I like…the pretty ones.’

‘Instead of making a huge big deal out of it and acting like you’re doing her a favour, why don’t you just try being nice? Get her a present – a nice one – as a peace offering. It works.’

Sirius looked extremely skeptical. ‘It hasn’t stopped me so far.’

‘Well for once you’re trying for a girl that doesn’t want to jump straight into bed with you, Black.’

‘True’, said Remus. ‘I mean she passed on me, and I was actually nice _and_ good-looking.’

Sirius ignored him. ‘This sounds like a lot more trouble than its worth. It’s not like I can’t get a date or anything.’

‘Fine’, said Lily. The bell rang for class to begin, and they started getting up to go. ‘It’s really up to you, Sirius. But just so you know – she was talking about you last night. Ok, bye!’ She grinned as she ran off to class.

‘What? Wait, WHAT DID SHE SAY?’ Sirius yelled after her. A few stragglers turned to stare at him. The other Marauders burst into laughter.

‘Come on, we’ll be late for Care of Magical Creatures’, said Remus, ‘then Kettleburn will make us collect Hippogriff manure again.’ They shuddered collectively as they exited the Great Hall and made their way down to the Care of Magical Creatures classroom. 

‘You’re late! 5 points from Gryffindor. Now siddown!’ Professor Kettleburn looked even more grumpy than usual as he pointed towards some seats at the back of the classroom.

‘Sorry, sir. We were hungry!’ said James, causing the whole class to giggle and Professor Kettleburn to dock another 10 points from Gryffindor.

Kettleburn was still recovering from his lesson with the Manticore babies so all they had to do that day was feed Flobberworms. Sirius poked his Flobberworms with a piece of mouldy lettuce. 

_I wonder what she said about me. Probably what a fuck-up I am. Wait…why am I even thinking about her?_

‘Oi, Padfoot, I think you’d better stop before you burst it!’

                                                     *  
 

Artemis tried to concentrate on the dream dictionary in front of her. Usually she enjoyed Divination for the sheer stupidity and vagueness of it. Doing well was extremely easy if one had a good imagination. Artemis treated it like creative writing rather than future predicting. However today she couldn’t seem to think of anything to write in her dream interpretation chart, having already used drowning, burning, choking, decapitation and suffocation.

She scratched out the last few lines so hard she broke her quill.

‘Fuck!’ She threw the quill down in exasperation.

‘Miss Lockhart!’ Professor Talon descended on her table looking more like a falcon than ever. She glared at Artemis through her pince-nez glasses.

‘Sorry Professor, I – sorry.’ Artemis tried her best grin, to which Talon raised an eyebrow and moved away to the next table. Artemis’s grin widened – Professor Talon was totally anal but Artemis was by far the best student she had, and secretly Talon adored her. That didn’t stop her from being a tight-laced cow during lessons.

After what seemed like an eternity, the bell rang and Artemis gave up on her chart and thankfully stuffed it into her bag. She had Potions next, which meant she would be late unless she ran the whole way since it was all the way at the other end of the castle in the dungeons. As usual, she lagged behind a little to talk to her Divination buddies. 

‘Can’t believe you didn’t get detention for that, Lockhart!’ said Jeremy Ogleby, a wavy haired Beater from Ravenclaw. ‘That was brilliant.’

‘Black must be rubbing off on her’, remarked Imelda. She winked at Artemis.

‘What are you lot talking about?’

‘Come off it, Arty!’ said Imelda. ‘Everyone knows that Black’s been asking you out. He fancies you!’

‘He certainly does not’, Artemis replied firmly. ‘He’s just an arrogant berk who thinks it’s funny to irritate people.’

‘That’s a bit harsh, isn’t it?’ said Jeremy. 

‘No!’ Artemis shook her head. ‘Look at the way he treats Snape!’

‘Yeah but Snape’s a right git, he deserves it’, Jeremy said. ‘You’ve never been called ‘Mudblood’, Lockhart.’

‘I know…but…’

‘Besides’, Imelda said, ‘with a face like that, he can afford to be a little arrogant. What hair…what eyes…’ She sighed dreamily, then punched Artemis’s arm. ‘If I were in your shoes I’d be dancing around, not complaining! The boy is bloody sexy!’

‘You have a boyfriend!’

‘So?’

‘I’ll never win this argument’, Artemis said. ‘And anyway, we’re all getting late! I have Potions.’

‘So? Sluggy loves you – he won’t care!’

‘That’s not really the point. I’ll see you lot later.’ She waved at them and hurried down the stairs. On the third flight, the staircase shuddered and began to move. Artemis grabbed onto the banister and thought glumly that everyone knew about her and Black, although their interpretation of the events was somewhat warped. She seemed to be the only one who was seeing through Black’s obvious malicious intent. Everyone else was convinced that he fancied her, and she _obviously_ fancied him right back since he was Sirius Black – the most desirable single at Hogwarts. 

_Maybe I was a bit hard on him, though_. She realised that had it been anyone else, she’d have been thrilled at the offer of a date, since her break-up with Remus had left her not too sure about her own attractiveness. _I probably shouldn’t have yelled at him…sunk down to his level._ _It was…rude. Maybe I should say sorry. No, he doesn’t deserve sorry! But maybe I should anyway. Merlin, I made such a fool of myself._

She hadn’t decided by the time she took the final staircases that led to the dungeons. 

_Oh damn, I’m so late!_

She rounded the last corner at a trot and stopped, almost falling over in the process, when she saw Sirius leaning against the wall outside the Potions classroom. There was no one else in the corridor; she could hear Professor Slughorn’s voice booming from inside.

He was in the way. There was no way to go past him without being right in front of him. Too close to him. Suddenly – shockingly – she was nervous. She approached, and he looked up and his black hair fell into his eyes.

‘Hi’, he said.

‘Hi’, she replied.

The awkward silence was so uncomfortable that Artemis twitched. _Why is this so strange? He’s being…serious. Maybe he’s sick._

‘So…holidays are coming up.’

Artemis nodded. _He’s being nice. Maybe I should be nice._

‘And that means the New Year and Christmas.’

‘Uh huh.’

‘And the – uh – Ministry’s New Year Ball.’

Artemis’s eyes widened. Surely, surely he wasn’t going to…ask her to come with him? _What should I say? What should I say?_

‘And, well, Mrs. Potter told me to bring someone. So how about you? Just as friends’, he added hurriedly. ‘Not like a date.’

‘Yes.’

He stared at her, puzzled for a moment. Artemis felt like she was drowning in sweat. She swallowed and met his eyes. He was grinning, but she could sense the unease.

‘Right. Well, we’d better go in before Slug gives us both detention.’ He waited till she had gone past then slipped in after her. Unfortunately Slughorn had his back to the class, which meant he spotted them immediately. 

‘Ah, Master Black, Miss Lockhart. How nice of you to join us!’ He grinned jovially at them both. Artemis – as a talented witch and member of an ancient wizarding house – was a member of the Slug Club along with Lily and Frank Longbottom. Sirius was not but his charming ways and extremely quick wit had somehow endeared him to Professor Slughorn nonetheless. ‘Since you’re both so late, you will have to partner each other I’m afraid.’ He winked at them. ‘If I hear any screaming, I’ll know where to look.’

Artemis was sure her face was on fire as she sat down at the empty bench at the front of the classroom. Sirius slid into the seat beside her. She looked sideways at him and he grinned. She smiled back a little hesitantly, then looked beyond him to see Lily and James sitting across the aisle. They were beaming at the two of them and elbowing each other delightedly. 

_Merlin…what have I done?_

 

**A/N:** ahaha, what exactly have you gotten yourself into, Arty? and what about Sirius, off like a lamb to the slaughter. read on and find out what happened on New Years' Eve...

x nadeshiko 


	7. Truth and Dare

A/N: enjoy... 

**Chapter Six: Truth and Dare**

Artemis stepped out of the grand fireplace in the Lockhart manor’s living room and dusted ash off her travelling cloak. She smiled at Misty the house elf who squeaked and bowed as she saw Artemis. She handed her bag to Misty and stepped out of the way just in time to avoid Gilderoy falling on top of her as he appeared in the fireplace seconds later. 

‘I hate Floo travelling’ he said, clutching his stomach. His face was a delicate shade of green. Artemis laughed and looked around. The house seemed darker than usual, and it smelt different. She could see no dusty surfaces and all the lights were burning, but something was definitely different. She looked over her shoulder towards her little brother and smiled.

‘I’m starving. Are you?’ He nodded, and Misty immediately led the two of them to the kitchen where the house elves had laid out a delicious lunch of chunky vegetable soup and freshly baked bread. Artemis’s mouth watered at the sight of it.

After they had both eaten, they parted ways to go to their respective bedrooms. Artemis fobbed off unpacking her small bag (Misty would have to redo her messy folding anyway) and lay down on her back on her bed. The silky sheets under her usually smelled pleasantly like lemon – her mother’s scent. Today they smelled like laundry soap.

Unnerved, Artemis got up and looked around her room. It seemed to be the same as she’d left it, if a bit cleaner thanks to the house elves. She went into the corridor, then down the corridor to her parents’ room.

She knocked once quietly before entering. Immediately her sense of uneasiness heightened.

The room, usually filled with the soft glow of the evening sun at this time, was dark. There were only thin shafts of light getting through the thick, drawn curtains. Artemis gradually saw the large four-poster bed as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. There was a figure huddled in the left corner – her mother.

‘Mother?’ Artemis approached quietly. Sophia Lockhart’s eyes fluttered open; she saw her daughter and smiled weakly.

‘Arty, honey. When did you get home?’

Artemis sat down beside her mother, and took her hand. She looked over her – Sophia looked ill, wasted…old.

‘Mother, what’s wrong with you?’ She failed to keep the distress out of her voice. Her grip around her hand tightened.

‘I’m fine, sweetheart’, Sophia replied. She tried to sit up in bed, but it seemed to take a lot out of her. Her once smooth skin was now heavily wrinkled around the eyes and mouth. Her dark hair had lost its shine. Her eyes, Artemis noticed with a stab of fear, seemed dull.

‘I just got back by Floo. Gilderoy came too. It’s almost Christmas.’

‘Oh. How time flies.’ Sophia smiled weakly. ‘What is school like, dear? Are you keeping up with work?’

‘For the most part. It’s hard work, but I’m doing alright. I should be fine for exams.’

‘Good, good.’ She coughed, shallow and chesty. ‘And how are your friends?’

‘They’re fine, mother.’ Artemis knew neither of her parents could name any of her friends if their lives depended on it. They probably thought she hung out with Narcissa Black. 

‘And your boyfriend?’

‘Still don’t have one.’

‘Oh, well I suppose that’s for the best.’ Artemis looked at her in surprise. ‘What about the Lestrange boy?’

‘You mean Rabastan?’ She really was surprised now. ‘I don’t think so, mother. We…don’t have much in common.’ _Like sanity._ She thought about how creepy Rabastan Lestrange was and shuddered.

‘He’s from a very good family’, said Sophia.

‘So what? That doesn’t make him a good person.’

Sophia sighed, and patted Artemis’s cheek with her free hand. She said nothing more on the matter, and moved on to asking Artemis about the weather at Hogwarts at the moment. She seemed barely interested in the conversation.

Artemis felt physically ill with worry. What was wrong with her mother? _It’s only been a few months since school started, and she was fine when I left. What could have happened?_

Her ponderings were interrupted by the entrance of Galryan Lockhart. Artemis stood when her father came over and dutifully let him kiss the top of her head. He looked, she noticed, displeased to see her there. 

‘Have you eaten?’ he asked, while looking over her head at Sophia.

‘Yes, Father.’

‘Very well. I’ll see you at dinner then.’ She knew that was a dismissal. With a quick smile for her mother, she exited the room promptly. As she closed the door behind her she caught a glimpse of her father standing over her mother as she tried to shift in bed. He didn’t move to help her.

Artemis walked back to her room and fell back on her bed again. Something strange and definitely not good was going on. Suddenly she was homesick for Hogwarts. She closed her eyes and imagined herself back in the Gryffindor dormitory, lying on her bed, with Lily’s bed right next to hers. She felt a tear run down her face and into the hair spread below her. 

The house-elf came to fetch her for dinner a few hours later. Artemis had showered and changed into jeans. She wanted to dry her hair but a summons meant she had to go immediately. Being late to the table in the Lockhart house wasn’t an option. She would have to put up with the wetness on the back of her t-shirt.

Gilderoy was already sitting at the table, reading a comic. Artemis took her seat opposite him. Galryan arrived a few minutes later and took his own place as usual at the head of the long table. Gilderoy quickly stashed his comic book under his chair and folded his arms politely. Both children turned their heads towards their father.

_If father’s here, mother isn’t coming._ Galryan was always the last to arrive. Since he was already here, Sophia wouldn’t be joining them. Artemis was itching to grill her father but talking at the table was forbidden unless Galryan said something first. 

The house-elves served the meal, but Artemis was too anxious to finish to enjoy her food. She shot glances at her father – he seemed to be eating leisurely. Gilderoy, as usual, was blissfully unaware of anything. He probably hadn’t even noticed that Sophia was missing.

Finally dessert finished, and Galyran wiped his lips with a napkin and got up to go into his library. Artemis waited for him to leave the room then followed him. She knocked on the door, waited for the ‘enter’ and came in.

The Lockhart Library was the work of generations. Bookcases ran from ceiling to floor, from every subject imaginable. Although Artemis loved to read she was always a bit afraid in the Library. It seemed to be the domain of her father and her grandfather before him, a place forbidding to a young child who was only called in for punishment after wrong-doing. 

_Don’t be ridiculous! You’re almost an adult, this is irrational. Just ask him…_ She took a deep breath.

‘Father.’ Galyran was reading the international section of the Daily Prophet. He looked up over his reading glasses and frowned at her.

‘What is it, Artemis?’

‘It’s mother. I was just wondering…what’s wrong with – I mean, is she ill?’

‘She is fine.’

‘B-but…she’s in bed. She missed dinner. And when we left for school, she was perfectly alright.’

Artemis waited for her father to say anything. The tension, she thought, was unbearable. After a moment, he spoke.

‘Artemis’, he said tersely, ‘whatever is the matter with Sophia is not your concern. If she is ill, she’s paying for her sins. Every disobedience has a price.’

‘B-but father!’

‘That’s enough, my dear.’ He waved in the direction of the door. ‘You can go now.’

Artemis gasped, but it was useless. Galryan had already turned his attention back to the Daily Prophet, and as far as he was concerned the conversation was over.

Feeling cold inside, Artemis left quietly. _What does father mean? Paying for her sins? Mother – what sins could she have possibly committed? What has happened here? Everything’s…different._ She returned to her room and sat at the window seat. The sun had truly set and Artemis could see the first stars twinkling in the night’s sky. 

She sighed and leaned her forehead against the window. Nothing was right at all. _I miss Remus. I miss Lily._ She felt the familiar stinging in her eyes and a hot tear run down her cheek. 

It had been only a few days since the holidays had begun, but already Artemis was desperate to escape her confinement at home. Entrance into the world at Hogwarts had opened her eyes to a whole new way of living and she had loved the freedom, so much so that now she craved it.

On her desk were open books and half-finished essays, but she spent most of her day hovering outside her mother’s room or moving restlessly around her own bedroom. 

She was just sitting down in front of a very long and boring Charms essay when there was a knock at the door, followed by Misty’s characteristic squeak.

‘Yes, Misty?’ she said, not looking up from Advanced Charms. The house-elf came forward bearing a letter on a silver tray stamped with the Lockhart family crest – an eagle in flight. Artemis took the letter, saw that it was in Lily’s handwriting, and tore it open eagerly.

‘That’s all’ she said to Misty. She squeaked again in reply and bowed her way out. Artemis shook out the letter.

_Dear Arty,_

_How have hols been so far? Pleasant, I hope. I’m having a great time since my parents and sister are away visiting her in-laws in Surrey so I’m staying with James. His parents are very nice; although they’re convinced I’m too thin and are determined to make me eat myself into a pig this Christmas!_

_You’re coming to the Ministry Ball this year, right? I am too, but I need new dress robes. The ones we bought at Gladrags aren’t dressy enough, according to Mrs. Potter. I was hoping you’d be able to come along shopping with me to Diagon Alley or anywhere else you fancy for a new set. I don’t really know any wizarding shops outside of Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade._

_Send me a reply with Ianthe. Hope everyone’s well at home._

_Love,_

_Lily_

_Ps. James says ‘hello’ and also wants to know if he can borrow your extra copy of Particularly Potent Potions next term. xo_

Artemis laughed at the letter’s end. She could almost see James standing over Lily, nagging her to add his two cents in post script. She went to her wardrobe and flung the doors open. Most of her really formal clothes were just left here – there was no point dragging them to school to be worn never. She rifled through some semi-formal and formal dress robes, but nothing seemed to appeal to her.

_No, that one’s too short now._ She picked up another one. _Too casual._ Another one. _Looks like something Grandmother would have worn._ And another one, bought by her great-aunt Esmerelda Yaxley. _Definitely not._ _I don’t want to look like a seven-year old._ _Oh well, I’ll just have to get a new one._ She shut the doors and returned to her desk to write a reply. Her quill hesitated over the scrap of parchment. _Maybe I should ask Father first._

She found Galryan exiting his bedroom. He was about to walk right past her when she said, ‘Father, I’d like to go to London with a friend.’

‘I see. Why?’

‘Well…the Ministry Ball. I don’t have anything to wear. Neither does my friend. We’d like to get some new robes.’

‘Which friend are you going with? Narcissa? Or Ariel?’

Artemis fought to keep her face straight. She was sure that most of the time her parents, especially her father, forgot that she had been Sorted into Gryffindor not Hufflepuff and that her friends were mostly from her own House. And she certainly didn’t associate with Slytherins if she could help it.

‘No, Father. Lily. She’s in my House.’

‘Oh, yes…Lily what?’

‘Evans. Lily Evans.’

A slight frown creased Galyran’s face.

‘The name is unfamiliar. But you may go.’ And he walked past her and down the stairs. Artemis grinned and rushed back to write to Lily.

_Hi Lils,_

_Thanks for your letter! You lucky thing – spending Christmas with James! I hope you haven’t mortally wounded each other yet._

_I can come shopping. How about going to London? They have some really nice shops on Oxford Street for dress robes. Is tomorrow alright for you? I can Apparate to James’s house._

_Love,_

_Arty_

She went downstairs to the kitchen, where Misty was eating a very late breakfast. All the house-elves stopped what they were doing and started bowing as she came in. She waved at them to stop, which they did after a few more bows, and gave the letter to Misty. Lily’s owl Ianthe would be waiting in the small owlery at the back of the house.

She returned to her room and to the boring essay. But instead of Charms all she could think about was dresses – colours, materials, styles…she couldn’t stop smiling to herself. 

The next day, Artemis got up early enough that the sun was still rising through her window. She went to her ensuite and took a long bath, then dressed herself warmly in jeans, boots, scarf and a long jacket. As she had requested the night before, Misty brought her breakfast up. She ate leisurely, since she’d gotten up so early she had plenty of time, then checked she had everything in her bag and decided to go. She had only just passed her Apparation Exam, and had only been to James’s house once in fifth year for a family thing. She concentrated hard on what she remembered – the wood-floored living room, the round dining table, the winding garden path…

_CRACK_. She opened her eyes – _did I close them?_ – and smiled with relief. It was the Potters’ house she was standing in front of, and thankfully all of her had arrived safely. She walked up the garden path and knocked on the door.

There were several thuds inside before she heard the doorhandle jiggle. It opened to reveal James towering over her, looking sleep-worn and with hair as untidy as ever. He was still in his pyjamas even though it was now almost eleven o’ clock. He blinked at her for a second, then smiled and opened the door wider.

‘Hi, Arty. Come on in, Lil’s in the kitchen.’ Artemis wiped her boots on the doorstep and followed him in. Lily was indeed in the kitchen, dressed very similarly to herself, and finishing off a mug of what smelled like coffee. She smiled at Artemis.

‘Hey Arty, I’m just about ready.’ She took a last swig from the mug and placed it in the sink.

‘Hey! Aren’t you going to wash it? Otherwise I’ll have to do it!’ James said.

‘Well it’s your job anyway, you lazy oaf!’ she replied, wrapping a knit muffler around her neck. ‘And we’re wasting valuable shopping time, right Arty?’ Artemis nodded. James growled. Lily kissed him on the cheek and turned to Artemis.

‘Alright, let’s go.’ She held onto Artemis’s free arm tightly, and Artemis closed her eyes as she formed a picture of Oxford Street in her head.

_CRACK._ She opened her eyes in a small alley leading up to the bustling Oxford Street. Several cats inhabiting the alley were rudely disturbed by the loud crack, which was luckily covered up by sounds from the traffic and their loud yowling. Artemis grabbed Lily’s hand and they set off down the road. 

They entered a shop that seemed to be so tiny that people who didn’t know it was there would barely notice it. Muggles were walking right by it. Inside, the shop area was large and spacious with clothes lining the walls and long curved couches for people to sit on.

A glamorous looking saleswoman came gliding up.

‘Welcome back to Balderdash  & Sprigg, Miss Lockhart. And Miss…?’ She looked inquiringly at Lily.

‘Evans’, Lily supplied, with at look at Artemis that said _‘they know your name?’_

‘Miss Evans. How can I help you ladies today?’

‘We’d like to find dresses for the Ministry’s New Year Ball, please’, said Artemis. The saleswoman nodded and motioned for them to follow her as she led them to one of the couches at the back of the shop.

‘This place is…’

‘A bit ridiculous’, Artemis laughed. ‘They have the best clothes, though. I used to come here with my mum. That’s how they know me.’ Lily still looked incredulous. 

The saleswoman was all too eager to please the two young girls in front of her. Artemis and Lily were soon drowning in material from tens of dresses. After a good hour of being shown different gowns, each girl selected a few to try on.

They decided to take it in turns. Lily, upon Artemis’s insistence, went first.

For the first few dresses, she didn’t even bother leaving the dressing room. She emerged in a green and gold flowered creation that made Artemis coo appreciatively.

‘You look like Mother Earth or something!’

‘Haha, maybe not then.’

The next few were similarly good, but after deliberation both girls agreed that Lily was best in a lovely emerald green satin gown that clung to her hips and made her eyes stand out.

Artemis disappeared into the dressing room next. She had a much smaller pile than Lily, and soon it was down to only two dresses: a corseted cream coloured gown with pale pink rose petals embroidered along the skirt so it appeared they were falling from her waist, or a midnight blue dress with straps made from twisted tulle.

She tried both on, but couldn’t decide. So she tried them on again, and stood before the huge mirror, twisting and turning to find any fault in one that would help make her decision.

‘Oh Lily, I don’t know!’ she wailed. ‘They’re both so beautiful.’

‘Well’, Lily said, a mischievous smile on her face, ‘if it helps, I know Sirius likes strapless dresses.’

‘He would, the pervert.’ She blushed a little. She was buying the dress for herself, not him! ‘Wait a minute!’ She turned around to face Lily.

‘How did you know Sirius was taking me to the Ball?’ She hadn’t told anyone!

‘I didn’t!’ Lily’s grin widened. ‘Is he really? He hasn’t told James then, because I would have known. Well, well, well.’

‘Oh.’ Artemis’s blush deepened. _Shit!_ ‘Yeah well, it’s no big deal. We’re just going as friends. He needed to take someone.’

‘And he just _happened_ to ask you?’ Lily sounded very sceptical. ‘I wasn’t aware you were ‘friends’.’

‘Well, er – he…it was very last minute.’

‘I’ll bet’, she said sarcastically. ‘I’m just saying it’s – odd, that he’d ask you when there are about a hundred girls that would fall over at the prospect of going with Sirius Black anywhere.’ 

Artemis shrugged, but she realised with a thrill that Lily was right. It _was_ odd that he’d ask her – someone who usually ended up arguing with him – instead of one of his groupies.

She tried the dress on once more, just to be sure. In the blue dress, she noticed her panty line showing through the material. _Well, that’s that then. I’ll have to get the cream one._

As the saleswoman packed up the two dresses in tissue and placed them into large, ribboned boxes, Artemis avoided Lily’s eyes. She had said nothing when Artemis had announced she’d decided on the cream dress, but her expression was enough.

_I am buying it because it was the best one!_ Artemis tried to convey it via ESP, but it didn’t seem to be working. _No other reason!_ They paid, thanked the saleswoman and left.

‘I just spent my pocket money for the last three years on that one dress’, whined Lily. They were clutching the large boxes awkwardly as they weaved through the crowd.

‘It was worth it though, right? I mean that dress is so gorgeous!’

‘Yeah, it is. So is yours, and it was way more expensive than mine!’

Artemis shrugged. Although she knew they weren’t wealthy, her father had never denied her spending money. In fact he sometimes brought it up in company.

The girls headed towards the Leaky Cauldron, where they were greeted by Tom the barman. They continued into Diagon Alley and ended up in Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlour eating hot caramel sundaes.

‘Lily! Arty!’ The girls turned around to see Imelda coming through the crowd towards them, followed – most unfortunately – by Druscilla Fotheringay. Druscilla was a sixth year Gryffindor, Imelda’s cousin. She was very pretty but very irritating and too nosey by half, and neither Lily nor Artemis were pleased to see her.

‘Hi, Mellie! What are you doing here?’

‘Christmas shopping.’ She indicated the large bags in her hands. She and Druscilla got chairs from nearby tables and sat down. 

After a few minutes, Druscilla exclaimed, ‘Oooh! Balderdash & Sprigg!’ She pointed to the boxes stacked by their table. ‘What did you buy there?’

Before Artemis had a chance to step on her foot, Lily replied, ‘The Ministry Ball. We’re both going this year.’

‘Oooh!’ she said again, most annoyingly. ‘Who with? Well, you – ’ she indicated Lily ‘ – must be going with Potter. But Lockhart…surely not Remus Lupin? I heard he dumped you.’

‘Er…’ Artemis looked away uncomfortably, but Druscilla was unfazed.

‘And Risela Cadbury told me he fancied her now, so he _can’t_ be taking you.’ Artemis made a mental note to find out who this Risela Cadbury was and hex her. Druscilla looked deep in thought about the question of who exactly was taking Artemis to the Ball.

‘My family goes every year’, she supplied, but just then Druscilla sat bolt upright and slapped the arm of her chair. Her eyes were wide with gossipy delight.

‘It’s _Black_!’ she exclaimed. Artemis shook her head as forcefully as possible.

‘N-no – I mean…’

‘Arty!’ cried Imelda, looking very surprised. 

‘Oooh it is, it is! Look at her face, cousin!’ Druscilla pointed. ‘She’s turning bright red! It _is_ Black!’

Lily began laughing helplessly. Artemis shot her a look of reproach and groaned in despair. Why was it so hard to keep it a secret? _This girl must be a really good Legilimens or something._

‘Be careful of Black, Arty’, said Imelda in a serious tone. ‘You know what he’s like – he’s bound to try something and you won’t know what to do.’

‘Oh yeah, you’re a virgin aren’t you? ’Cos you didn’t give it up to Lupin so he broke it off.’ Artemis’s hand twitched in the direction of her wand. Forget this Cadbury girl; she was very close to turning Druscilla into a slug.

‘I don’t think it’s any of your business’, she said coldly. _Now please drop it, you annoying little doxy!_

But Druscilla seemed even more determined to pursue the conversation.

‘You know, you really _are_ a frigid bitch’, she said matter-of-factly. Artemis could feel her blood pressure rising. Imelda interjected.

‘Dru! That’s not very nice, and …Oh I don’t know, Sirius might be _hot_ enough to melt Artemis’s cold, cold heart.’ She and Lily both laughed. Artemis tried to crawl under the table.

‘You think that he’s in love with her?’ She sounded incredulous. ‘Her?’

‘Is that so hard to believe?’ Lily said, frowning at Druscilla. The slight stirred Artemis too; she glared at Druscilla.

‘Sirius Black’, Druscilla declared, ‘doesn’t fall in love, and certainly not with…her.’

Artemis gasped.

‘He certainly could be in love with me!’

Druscilla snorted. ‘Confident, aren’t you? Fine…care to put your pride where your mouth is? I bet that can’t make Sirius Black fall in love with you before exams.’ She smiled contentedly, sure that Artemis was defeated.

‘Deal!’ Artemis nearly shouted. People passing turned to see the source of the noise. Lily and Imelda gaped. Even Druscilla looked surprised, but she recovered very quickly.

‘Fine. If I win, you have to get me the answers to all my exams.’

‘But that’s cheating!’ gasped Lily. She shrugged.

‘That’s the deal.’

‘What if Artemis wins?’ asked Imelda.

‘You want to work for the Daily Prophet, right?’ Artemis had, from the very beginning of her time at Hogwarts, dreamed of becoming a reporter with the Prophet and was very vocal about it. Druscilla knowing her career aspiration was no surprise. ‘Alright, if you win, I’ll get you your own column at the Prophet. My dad’s the editor-in-chief of the national section.’

Artemis nodded. Druscilla looked supremely satisfied. Lily looked stunned. Imelda was keeping her face as straight as possible. After a few awkward moments, Imelda gathered up her shopping, and her cousin, and left after wishing them Happy Christmas.

Lily waited till they were out of earshot before turning on Artemis.

‘Are you totally insane? Have you been smoking dragon fang? Why did you agree to that!? Arty? Artemis!’

She shook her friend’s shoulder roughly. Artemis was staring at her melting sundae in a state of total shock. 


	8. Early Mornings and Secret Gifts

**Chapter Seven: Early Mornings and Secret Gifts**

Lily was lying awake, her eyes wide open. It wasn’t even dawn; she could see stars in a midnight sky from a gap through the curtains. Something was poking her back so she shifted ever so slightly, careful to not disturb the sleeping figure next to her. She turned so she was face to face with James, so close she could count the dark eyelashes against his cheek and feel his hot breath on hers.

She gently pressed her lips against his, so softly at first he may not have even noticed. Then with more pressure. She planted gentle kisses on his cheek, along his jaw, down his neck to his collarbone. He moaned softly in his sleep, and moved to take Lily into his arms while throwing one leg across her own.

She was relentless, and kept kissing him until his eyelids fluttered and opened. He smiled at her and whispered, ‘Happy Christmas, Lils.’

The reply she gave him was another kiss, this time he was awake and she slowly opened her mouth and allowed James to explore it with his tongue. Although she was quite happy to keep going – her hands were already trailing across his torso – he suddenly broke the kiss and sat up, a daft grin on his face.

‘I want to give you your present right now!’ Before she could say anything, he twisted around and leant over the side of the bed, rummaging about for something.

‘James!’ Lily said in annoyance. He had taken the covers off with him. She shivered and rubbed her legs as James emerged. He had a box in his hand which he gave her.

She opened it slowly. Inside was a glass case containing a single red rose that looked as though it had just begun to bloom. Lily looked at him in surprise as she removed in from the case. It seemed to be an ordinary rose to her.

‘Er…thanks’, she said, smelling it. ‘I love roses.’

‘It’s not _just_ a rose’, James said, rolling his eyes. She looked at him inquiringly. ‘It’s an Everlasting Bloom. It’ll bloom forever in a cycle from bud to flower and back. It’s for forever. Just like us.’ 

‘Oh!’ Lily looked at in wonder. She replaced it carefully in the case before turning to James and slipping her arms around him.

‘Thank you’, she said, her head cradled under his chin. He wrapped the blanket around them both.

‘I love you, Lily’, he whispered into her ear.

It was tradition that Remus be downstairs first on Christmas morning. Despite being on the brink of adulthood, he rose eagerly at first light and bounded down the stairs to the living room. The Christmas tree they had decorated only days before was ringed by brightly wrapped presents. Remus sat down cross-legged in front of the pile.

His mother appeared moments later bearing a tray with three cups of coffee and gingerbread. She was followed by his father, who took his usual seat on the club chair in front of the fireplace.

Once his parents were settled, Remus dove into the presents with all the abandon of a seven-year-old. In the Lupin household, Christmas Day was entirely devoted to family and to reminiscing about good times and anticipating even better times. For one morning a year at least, they found a way to forget the growing darkness around them and find comfort in one another. 

Although every other year they had opened presents by the giant Christmas tree in the Library, this year Artemis had gathered her presents at the foot of Sophia’s bed. Gilderoy had followed suit, so this year Christmas morning took place in their parents’ bedroom. Sophia was sitting up, propped up by many cushions, and observing as Gilderoy tore through his pile of presents. Artemis opened hers carefully, and slowly, in order to savour the feeling of excitement and anticipation that comes just before opening a gift.

‘Oooh! A Wasps jersey! Thanks Father! Thanks Mother!’ Gilderoy held up a fairly garish purple and yellow vest decorated with the insignia of the Wimbourne Wasps. Sophia smiled indulgently at her son, and then turned to Artemis.

‘Open that one, dear’, she said, pointing to a small package. Artemis unwrapped it to find a small case made of woven silver with stones embedded here and there. She opened it, and it began to play a very familiar tune – the lullaby her mother used to sing when she was very small and afraid of the dark.

‘Oh, mother! Thank you!’ She went over to Sophia and hugged her, noticing with a pang how small her mother seemed. ‘Thank you!’

Sophia smiled, and was promptly distracted by Gilderoy bouncing about on the bed in excitement over his latest opened present.

Artemis returned to the foot of the bed to open her remaining presents. There were the usual sweaters, chocolates, books and records she received every year. She could almost pick who had sent what by the wrapping paper they used. Finally, when there were only one or two gifts left, she noticed a very small pouch.

She opened it, and a necklace fell into her hand. The chain itself was plain and gold and so thin it seemed to be unable to bear the weight of the pendant hanging on it. Artemis held it up to examine it more closely. Her eyes widened in surprise.

‘Amber!’ she whispered. The pendant was a smooth oval shape no bigger than her thumbnail, backed on a gold plate. The polished stone was a warm honey colour, flecked from inside. Amber, she thought.

There was only one way to be sure. Excusing herself, Artemis hurried to her room and grabbed a pair of scissors from her desk. She ran the blade across her thumb till it drew blood. Ignoring the stinging, she pressed her thumb to the pendant.

The honey stone suddenly glowed golden so bright she saw spots dance before her. The light subsided, but it continued to glow a soft yellow. Artemis stared at it – there was no doubt, it was amber.

Although Muggles used common amber as trifling pieces of jewellery, in the magical world the hardened resin from trees like the yew, which stored magical energy, was valuable and precious. And they had strange magical properties that allowed them to become bound to witches and wizards. By offering it her blood, Artemis had made the amber attuned to her.

She slipped the chain over her neck and let it rest on her chest. The pendant glowed softly. It would glow all her life, she knew, until the moment she died. 

_Who could have sent it?_ She found the pouch where she’d dropped it on the floor. There was no note attached.

Sirius felt like he was drowning in parchment. He had dumped about thirty love letters and presents from hopeful girls onto his small dining table and proceeded to sort through them.

‘Just because I don’t want to date them doesn’t mean I can’t eat their chocolate’, he said to himself.

Slightly to one side were presents from James, Peter and Remus. He looked through the other presents, ignoring the annoying thrill he was getting reading the names on the cards. _I am not looking for anyone’s name!_

‘To Sirius, From Artemis. Happy Christmas.’ It was written on top of a rectangular package. Sirius ripped back the paper and laughed.

‘The Idiot’s Guide to Passing the N.E.W.T.s’, he read. ‘I probably deserved that.’ Usually he would have been appalled at the idea of getting schoolbooks as presents, but this time somehow he couldn’t keep the smile off his face.

 

_A/N: a short, but significant chapter. but its Chapter Eight: Black and Light, where it's really getting interesting. the night of the Ministry Ball has arrived..._   



	9. Black and Light

**Chapter Eight: Black and Light**

Artemis had never taken so long to dress. She had begun getting ready after lunch, and was still anxiously adjusting the clips in her hair when her father’s call came from downstairs. With one last look in the mirror, she grabbed her small purse and left her room.

Although Galryan was waiting downstairs, Artemis took a moment to slip in to see Sophia. She was lying slumped on her bed, and her face looked grey. At the sight of her, Artemis’s anxiety increased, but she roused her anyway.

‘Mother…mother! We’re about to leave.’ She shook her mother’s should gently, and Sophia’s eyes fluttered open. It took them a moment to focus, but when they did, she smiled so sweetly that for an instant she looked just as healthy as before.

‘Oh, Arty! Darling, you look wonderful!’ Artemis smiled and kissed her on the cheek, and left.

A few seconds later Artemis and Galyran had Apparated into a small foyer area filled with house-elves that were taking people’s coats. Artemis took off her flimsy shawl, more for decoration than warmth, and handed it to the house-elf that had come to her. Galyran similarly shed his outer cloak and gloves.

There were a large set of polished wood doors leading from the foyer to the Atrium at the Ministry of Magic, where the Ball was held each year. Every few minutes the house-elves acting as doormen swung them open. Artemis hurried through, and gasped at the sight before her.

The Atrium had been transformed into a vast ballroom. The ceiling resembled the Great Hall at Hogwarts – it showed pale clouds scudding across an inky black sky, with a fat crescent moon and thousands of twinkling stars. Golden candles floated everywhere, lighting up the huge room. The floor had become a rich golden marble, and everywhere were small Christmas trees hung with glittering icicles. 

Artemis took it all in with wonder as she stood at the top of a grand marble staircase that led from the foyer to the Atrium ground level. 

_Ok, now one foot first. Look where you’re going. Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit._ She twisted her fingers, nervous for some odd reason. Although this was her first time at the Ministry Ball, it wasn’t the first ball she’d ever been to. _Come on, suck it up! What are you afraid of?_

She gingerly put one foot on the next step, while holding her skirt up a little to prevent tripping. After a few steps, she looked up and saw Sirius standing at the foot of the stairs. He was looking at his watch, but before she could look away he looked up and their eyes met.

The queasy feeling in Artemis’s stomach suddenly became a raging storm of butterflies. She tried to keep her eyes down as she finished climbing down the stairs.

_Now what are you going to say, you smarmy bastard?_

She looked up; hands clasped behind her back and felt a bit like she was presenting herself to him for inspection. The appreciative look he gave her was shocking.

‘You’, he said, ‘look beautiful.’

She blushed in spite of herself. _Beautiful._ ‘T-thank you. You look very handsome.’

Which was true; he looked extremely good that night in a charcoal grey suit and white tie. _A bit too good, actually._

Artemis found she was grinning a bit stupidly while avoiding Sirius’s gaze and he was doing the same – they were behaving like preteens on a first date. _This is_ not _a date_ , she reminded herself firmly. 

Just when she thought that they were going to be standing that way all night, James and Lily came up and broke the tension. Lily’s emerald dress made her stand out in the crowd and her eyes were sparkling as she clung to James’s arm.

‘Arty! You look amazing!’ The girls gave each other the once-over and hugged. Artemis returned the compliment.

‘Alright, Lockhart? You certainly clean up well’, said James, smiling at her.

‘I try, I try’, she said, mocking modesty.

‘Do you want anything to drink?’ Sirius asked her. Artemis couldn’t help but feel happy that he had. _Why?_

‘Yes please. Anything’s fine.’

‘Champagne, Padfoot! This is the Ministry Ball!’ James declared. Sirius grinned at him and disappeared in pursuit of four flutes of champagne. James turned to Artemis and offered his hand.

‘How about a dance?’ he said. She looked at Lily, who nodded, and allowed him to lead her onto the dance floor. The song was fairly lively, but not so much that they couldn’t talk. 

James twirled her around so her skirt fanned out around her. A few people nearby clapped appreciatively.

‘Ah, the slow waltz.’ The music slowed down, and James pulled Artemis in closer as she rested her arms loosely on his shoulders.

‘Do you like Lily’s dress?’

‘Well’, James said, pretending to be really considering it, ‘it does make her look a bit fat.’

‘James!’ He laughed and looked across at Lily, eyes warm.

‘She looks great. But that’s not the dress – that’s all her.’

‘Why did you chase after her all those years?’

James looked down at her, a little puzzled by the question. But it was a question Artemis had been dying to ask for ages.

‘I guess – the first time I saw her, she just seemed to fit me so well. I felt…different with her, more whole somehow. Even when we weren’t ‘together’ as such – being around her made me want to be more than I was.’

He shrugged. ‘I don’t think any of that made sense.’

‘It did’, she assured him. ‘I guess I’m a bit jealous. And you’re right, you do fit together. Like one person.’

He nodded. ‘Yeah, I love her. But don’t tell her any of this; she’s already quite full of herself!’ They both laughed. 

The song ended and James returned her to where Lily and Sirius were waiting, sipping champagne. Before they came into earshot, he whispered to her, ‘Don’t worry, Artemis. You’re someone’s Lily too…you just don’t know it yet.’ 

And before Artemis had a second to do more than look up at him in amazement, he strode forward and took Lily’s flute of champagne.

‘Hey! That’s mine! Get your own you moocher!’ James grinned and downed it in one gulp. Lily smacked him in the chest and he grabbed her arm and planted a hard kiss on her lips. Lily laughed helplessly.

‘So are you going to dance with me or not?’ she asked, putting her hands on her hips. 

‘Your wish, madam, is my command!’

Artemis and Sirius watched as they danced, both avoiding each others eyes. Artemis carefully put up her hands to check that the diamond-encrusted slides she’d put in her hair were still holding.

‘They’re fine’. Artemis jumped at the sound of his voice.

‘Oh…thanks. I just – I just wanted to be sure. They’re my mother’s and I don’t want anything to happen to them. I – ’

She broke off suddenly and looked up. _Babbling on like an idiot._ His eyes widened slightly.

‘They’re nice. I think my cousin Narcissa has some like them. You know her, right?’

‘We were – friends…before Hogwarts. Once I started hanging out with Lily and Remus and you lot…well, I guess we just drifted apart.’

Sirius snorted. ‘No big loss. She’s a frigid bitch, that one.’

Artemis laughed, and said, ‘Someone called me that the other day.’ _Druscilla_ _Fotheringay. After I made that stupid, stupid bet._ That dried up all the laughter. She had forgotten about it in the excitement of the ball.

‘Well, are you?’ Sirius asked. 

‘What do you mean by that!?’

‘I’m not trying to hack you off.’ he said quickly, ‘You know yourself best. _Are_ you a frigid bitch or not?’

Artemis opened her mouth to firmly deny it, to tell him that he was rude for even thinking such a thing let alone saying it to her face – then she shut it abruptly. _I’m not a frigid bitch. I’m not_ frigid. _I just…how can you blame me for being_ frigid _when I’ve had my heart broken!?_ She felt like screaming it at him. He was watching her carefully, but she couldn’t see any of his usual smirk about him.

‘I…I…’ she stuttered, blushing for what seemed like the hundredth time that night. 

‘Sirius, sweetheart!’ She was saved from having to say anything further by the appearance of a slim, elegant, middle-aged woman walking up to them and embracing Sirius warmly. She stepped back and looked him over. ‘Glad to see you shaved.’

‘Just for you, Mrs. P’, he said, rubbing his cheek and grinning. The woman noticed Artemis standing beside him and exclaimed even more emphatically.

‘Great Merlin, could this be your _date_? Sirius, I _am_ impressed! For once you actually listened.’

‘James told you I was bringing someone!’

She scoffed. ‘And when was the last time I actually believed anything you or James told me? This is certainly a momentous occasion!’

‘It’s not that big a deal!’ Sirius said hurriedly, glancing at Artemis.

‘Eleanor Potter, pleased to meet you’, she said, offering Artemis her hand while totally ignoring Sirius. Artemis grinned.

‘Artemis Lockhart. I think you know my father, Galryan.’

‘Oh, yes’, said Eleanor. ‘Not personally, though. Ah – now your name rings a bell! You’re Lily’s friend, the one that went dress-hunting with her last week! Well Artemis, how lovely you look tonight.’

‘Thank you very much. So do you.’ She meant it; Eleanor Potter was a vision of elegance despite her grey hair.

‘Oh, I’m too old for all that now! In fact, I’d better go find my husband before he does himself an injury dancing away! Lovely to meet you, my dear. Please come and stay with us in the summer – James and Lily often mention you! We’d love to have you!’

‘Oh – thanks!’

‘And Sirius’, she looked at him warningly. ‘Stay out of trouble.’ She picked up her skirt and walked off in pursuit of her husband, but not before glancing over her shoulder and giving them a _look_ which clearly indicated what she thought of their…relationship.

Artemis was once again reduced to stuttering to cover up her bewilderment.

Sirius glanced at her and sighed. ‘Come on, Lockhart, I’d better dance with you. No point getting all dressed up so you can stand there looking pretty.’

‘Well, that’s the most gallant proposal I’ve _ever_ heard’, she said sarcastically. He grinned, and she felt an instant lightness in her chest. _That’s the way we should be._

They walked through the couples and groups of people dancing to somewhere near the centre. Artemis noticed as she turned to face Sirius that the moon on the ceiling was right above them.

Before they could even begin, the song ended, and the emcee announced that the popular group The Hecates would be performing next. In the meantime, the haunting strains of a violin that had been charmed to play itself drifted across the ballroom.

Artemis hesitated as she stepped closer to Sirius and felt his hand on her back. She slid her arms around his shoulders, but he took the left one in his own hand. Although she tried to be as relaxed, as natural as possible…she felt stiff.

_I hate this song._

‘I hate this song’, he said, echoing her thoughts. She laughed and agreed.

Although she had been around him plenty of times, Artemis noticed that Sirius smelled nice, like perfumed smoke. _This is nice…he’s a really good dancer. Who would’ve thought I’d be dancing_ willingly _with Black on New Year’s Eve._ She couldn’t help smiling.

‘You know Lockhart, you smile a lot.’

‘And that’s a bad thing?’

‘You smile randomly…when no one’s said anything funny. It’s weird.’

‘I can’t believe you’re calling _me_ weird, you weirdo. You’re the one who asked Sybill Trelawny to marry you when you were seven, remember that?’

Sirius completely disregarded that snippet from Memory Lane and continued, ‘And you’re too skinny. Look at your bones sticking out from your dress.’

‘Are you looking at my bones, you perv?’ _Are you looking at me? What do you see?_

‘They’re sticking out there – anyone can see them! And you’re short, like a freaking midget!’

‘It’s better than being cross-eyed like you, Black!’

‘I am _not_ cross-eyed!’ He suddenly pulled her closer and peered into her face, pretending he couldn’t see her properly. ‘Waitaminute, who are you?’ He crossed his eyes and stared at her.

She giggled. ‘Weirdo.’

‘Skinny midget.’ But he didn’t let her pull away. And she didn’t try to either. 

It seemed like there was no one else in the room for a moment…she couldn’t see anything but his eyes, his smile…and it scared her. Her fingertips were brushing the dark hair at his neck, and she could feel his breath on her bare shoulder as he pulled her in closer still.

_He’s trying to get in your pants_ , said a rational voice somewhere in her hand. 

_Yeah, well what if I don’t care?_

They were so close now that she couldn’t look up at him; only turn her head sideways so she could see the marble floor.

_The bet…I have to make him fall in love me or I’ll have to help Druscilla cheat._ She felt like kicking herself for the sheer stupidity of agreeing to anything Druscilla Fotheringay had proposed. She was sure to lose – how could someone like her make someone like Sirius Black fall in _love_ with her. Enough to actually say ‘I love you’. She couldn’t even talk to him for three minutes without fighting with him, calling him a wanker, or storming off.

_But I can’t just let her win. Now that I’ve agreed, I have to go for it._

‘You want to keep going?’ Sirius’s voice cut though her thoughts. She realised with a start that the song had ended and people were milling around them. Sirius dropped his arms, and she pulled away – almost reluctantly.

‘Thanks for the Christmas gift’, Sirius said, as they walked over to rejoin Lily and James. ‘You really didn’t have to. _Really._ ’

Artemis rolled her eyes. ‘Maybe if you actually paid attention in class rather than getting off looking up girls’ skirts you wouldn’t _really_ need it.’

Sirius tried to look offended, and failed. ‘Oh don’t play innocent with me Lockhart. I know you get excited watching the third-years having swimming lessons at the Lake.’

‘Ew, they are children! What kind of pervert are you!?’

‘Me?’ Sirius sounded puzzled, ‘What kind of pervert are _you_? You’re the one watching!’

‘I am not! I told Mellie not to tell, that was one time…’ She coloured as Sirius roared with laughter. He caught her arm and stopped her.

‘Wait! You actually _did_ it!? I thought – wow, Lockhart I’m impressed!’

She rolled her eyes again. ‘You would be.’

‘I knew that whole ‘virgin-for-life’ thing you had going was a fraud! You little pedophile!’

‘Go fuck yourself, Black’, Artemis replied, but there was no malice in it. She walked up to where Lily and James were helping themselves to more champagne, making Sirius trot to catch up.

A few more sips – actually more like glasses – of champagne later, Artemis began feeling nature’s call. Lily looked a bit busy making out with James, so she decided to brave the toilets alone and excused herself. Sirius looked a little disappointed to see her go, _or was that just my imagination?_

She had almost reached the door that lead to the bathrooms when two men passing in front of her nearly fell from tripping over each other. She hurried over to help them up, and then stopped. 

The pair was Rodolphus and Rabastan Lestrange, and they were both clearly drunk. Artemis tried to turn back so they wouldn’t see her – the last thing she wanted was to have to put up with Rabastan on New Year’s Eve – but it was too late.

‘Well, well. Who do we have here?’ Rodolphus pulled himself upright and almost fell over again. Rabastan seemed the steadier of the two; he looked Artemis up and down in almost the same way Sirius had when he’d seen her on the stairs. This time however, she felt like her clothes were being mentally stripped off, and she didn’t like it.

‘Excuse me’, she said curtly, trying to get around them. Rabastan grabbed her shoulder and she shivered as his cold hands made contact with her bare skin. The other hand ran from her opposite shoulder and downwards, till he was covering her breast. She squirmed to get away, looking around for Sirius or James or even her father.

‘What the fuck are you doing, Lestrange!? Get – off – me!’ She pushed him away hard just as his hand started travelling to her other breast. He stumbled back slightly. 

‘Let’s dance, Lockhart.’ He tried to grab her wrist but she darted away. Rodolphus was laughing.

‘Get fucked’, she fired back. Instead of getting mad, like she’d expected, he chuckled and took a step closer. This time she couldn’t even move away fast enough; he’d grabbed a hold of her wrist and pulled her in so close that the stink of alcohol on his breath made her eyes water.

‘Artemis, Artemis…always so fiery.’ His lips were almost touching her ear. ‘It will only make things more… _interesting_ in our future.’

Before she could make any sense of what he’d said, Rabastan pushed her away so hard she almost fell over. He and his brother both laughed loudly.

Artemis felt her ire rise. ‘The only future we have together is in your dreams, Lestrange, because I’d rather date a house-elf than _you_!’ And she gathered her skirts, turned around, and ran away.

Sirius suddenly appeared at the edge of the crowd. He caught sight of her, and his expression immediately became concerned.

‘Lockhart! What happened to you?’ Artemis’s face was dark red, her hair messed and his eyes widened when he saw a faint red outline on her chest. She didn’t meet his eyes; shame and fury were both fighting to take control of her, and it was a close fight.

She was aware there might have been tears in her eyes and the last thing she wanted was to start crying in front of Sirius like a big ninny. _He would laugh at me and tell Remus and then they’d both laugh._

But Sirius didn’t look like he wanted to laugh at all. When Artemis finally dared looking up, she saw the closest thing to seriousness she’d ever seen on his face. Not a trace of a smile. It was strange, disconcerting but Artemis was shocked that looking at him she felt both safety and something almost like…desire.

‘Come on, I’ll take you home’, he said, sounding like a man resigned to his fate. _Told you he wanted to get into your pants tonight._ Artemis nodded almost too gratefully just as the emcee announced it was five minutes to midnight. After her run-in with the Lestranges, she couldn’t wait to take off her beautiful gown and cover herself up in her flannel pyjamas.

‘I should go tell my dad’, she said, then stopped herself. _Father doesn’t know Sirius was my date. He’ll go crazy if he finds out – but how can I explain going home to him?_ She looked back at Sirius, who looked at her inquiringly, and shrugged. ‘It’s ok; I’ll leave a message with one of the house-elves here.’

They said goodbye to Lily and James, both of whom seemed interested in no one but each other at the moment, and ascended the staircase into the welcome foyer. Artemis retrieved her shawl and told the house-elf there to inform Galyran Lockhart that his daughter wasn’t feeling well and a friend had Apparated her home.

A loud _CRACK_ later, Artemis and Sirius were standing on the step of her house. All the lights were off inside. _Mother and Gilderoy must have gone to bed._ She knocked on the door, shivering in the bitter cold, and it creaked open. Misty’s head poked out; she saw Artemis standing there rubbing her shoulders to keep warm, and swung it open wider.

Artemis stepped inside quickly. She turned back to Sirius who was standing behind her, his hands thrust into his trouser pockets. The wind had blown his slicked back black hair into his eyes again. The sight of him filled Artemis with a warmth that had nothing to do with being in a heated house. She opened her mouth to say goodnight, but something else came out.

‘Come on in, Black. It’s bloody freezing.’ He laughed and stepped inside too.

‘Don’t have to tell me twice.’

He followed her to the kitchen where she promptly produced two bottles of Butterbeer from the pantry.

‘No Firewhisky?’ he enquired. Artemis popped both bottles open, and handed him one.

‘’Fraid not. Father keeps it locked in the closet in his library.’ They sat down at the kitchen table. Artemis couldn’t help feeling that the way Sirius was sitting – with the chair backwards and his legs wrapped around the chair’s legs – extremely hot.

_Anyone would think I was the whore, not him! What is wrong with me tonight?_

‘A toast’, she said. ‘to…excellent N.E.W.T. results!’ Sirius gave her a look that said ‘ _what kind of loser are you?_ ’ ‘What?’

He shook his head. ‘It’s too easy…’

‘Black!’

‘Alright, to excellent N.E.W.T.s! Cheers!’ He leaned over and tapped his bottle against hers and proceeded to empty it into his throat with one big swallow. Artemis was beginning to get alarmed when he wiped his mouth and raised the bottle again.

‘My turn’, he said. ‘Ok – here’s to Gryffindor!’

‘Gryffindor?’

He shrugged. ‘Well we don’t really have that much in common to toast to, Lockhart. I don’t think you’d be toasting getting laid or anything.’

‘I might’, she said defensively. ‘Just because I’m a – a virgin, doesn’t mean I hate sex and think its evil!’

‘Well you’ve got a funny way of showing it’, he replied, calmly. Artemis glared at him and raised her own bottle.

‘Here’s to getting laid!’ she said, clicking her bottle against his and downing it. Sirius followed suit.

They were about to begin Round Three of toasting when Artemis heard footsteps outside, followed by her mother’s weak and raspy voice.

‘Um, just a second’, she said to Sirius and quickly got up to see – to her dismay – Sophia walking into the kitchen. Or rather tottering in – she seemed to be almost ready to collapse with the effort. 

Artemis felt a pang watching her painful movements, and embarrassment that Sirius Black should see her mother this way. Her hair was untidily in a plait, she was wearing a crumpled nightie and a dressing gown that made her seem smaller than she already was. She looked unwell and almost decrepit and Artemis couldn’t bear to think what Sirius’s reaction would be to her. 

She went up to Sophia and tugged her arm gently, pulling her around before she could see Sirius at the kitchen table.

‘Mother, you should be resting. Come on…’

Sophia turned to go, leaning heavily on Artemis’s arm, when the sound of Sirius’s chair scraping against the floor made her look back.

_Damn!_

Sophia’s eyes fell on Sirius and she smiled weakly.

‘Artemis, you didn’t tell me you had a guest! Hello’, she said to him. Then her knees gave way and she fell heavily against Artemis, who almost buckled under the sudden weight.

‘Oh!’

Before she had time to steady herself, let alone her mother, she saw Sirius come over and gently pull up Sophia, tucking one arm around her waist and the other holding her shoulder. He helped her to a chair, where she sat down, exhausted. She accepted a glass of water from Artemis and turned back to Sirius, still smiling.

‘I’m Sophia Lockart, Artemis’s mother.’

‘Sirius Black, Mrs. Lockhart. Thanks for having me.’

‘That’s alright, dear. It’s not often that Arty has friends over, although it’s a bit late.’ She looked at him closely. ‘Are you Walburga Black’s son?’

If the question made Sirius uncomfortable – everyone knew he was estranged from his family – he didn’t show it at all. ‘I’m the older one. My brother Regulus is in his fifth year at Hogwarts.’

Sophia nodded. ‘Yes, we heard that you’d – er, ‘separated’ yourself from the rest of the Blacks this summer. You know, there’s no one quite like family my dear. Nothing else is quite the same, no matter how much you try.’

Artemis looked nervously at Sirius, sure that her mother was about to provoke an outburst against his family, herself and pure-bloods in general. Instead Sirius replied gravely, ‘Well ma’am, all I can say is that the Potters have treated me more like a son than my own family. They were only interested in me if I lived my life exactly the way they wanted, and beyond that they couldn’t give a toss.’

Sophia shook her head. ‘No good ever comes of defying your family, Sirius. And the Potters are…well, more liberal than most wizarding kind.’

‘Mother’, Artemis interrupted, ‘they’re trying stop discrimination against Muggleborns! There’s nothing wrong with that.’

‘I never said there was, Arty’, Sophia said. She sounded tired. ‘But their –er, viewpoints on certain – practices…are certain to cause alarm in the old wizarding communities. There is a reason why wizard families should stay – pure.’

‘That’s our motto’, said Sirius, grinning. ‘ _Toujours pur._ The Blacks, I mean’, he said, in reply to the query in Artemis’s expression. 

Sophia had been referring to the Potters, James’s parents – who were famously outspoken on the rights of Muggleborns in the wizarding community, and had recently protested the rise of pure-blood mania, despite being pure-blood themselves. 

Sirius seemed as eager to deflect this conversation as Artemis. ‘Um, Mrs. Lockhart, are you sure you’re comfortable here? I don’t want to inconvenience you by keeping you up all night!’

Sophia looked at him with narrowed eyes. ‘Are you trying to get rid of me, Master Black?’ For a moment Artemis panicked, but then she saw the slight smirk on her mother’s face.

Sirius was all innocence. ‘Who, me? Never!’

‘Well I am tired’, said Sophia, leaning back in her chair. ‘Artemis, I’d like to go back upstairs.’

‘Er –’. There was no way Artemis could carry her by herself, all the way upstairs. Being underage she couldn’t use magic either. She looked at Sirius helplessly. 

‘Allow me’, he said, helping Sophia up. ‘It’s not everyday you get to escort a _real_ lady.’

Artemis glared at him, but it was replaced in a moment by a grin. _I can’t believe what a gentleman he’s being. This isn’t the real Sirius! He’s…wonderful!_ She took Sophia’s other arm, and together they helped her up the staircase, down the corridor and finally to the door of her bedroom.

‘I’ll be fine from here’, Sophia said. ‘Goodnight, dears.’ She slipped inside and the door closed. Artemis watched her go, then turned to Sirius. His hands were back in his pockets.

‘I should go’, he said. ‘It’s pretty late.’

‘Not much of a party animal, are you?’ she replied. _Stop feeling all disappointed!? Do you actually_ want _him to stay? Don’t be so pathetic!_ But she couldn’t help the small stab of regret at his words.

‘I’m pretty sure your dad won’t be as thrilled to see me here.’

He was right, she realised. Galryan would be extremely upset to see him in the house, and how would she explain why they were even talking? Her father was of the opinion that anyone that walked away from their heritage was dirt, and he’d be damned if his eldest child was associating with riff-raff like that more than was absolutely unavoidable. 

She didn’t bother to call Misty to open the front door. They stood there for a few moments, looking here and there but not at each other.

Artemis wanted to say something, express how grateful she was to him for not being embarrassed about her mother like she was, for not ridiculing or prying, for bringing her home, _for the dance and the ‘you look beautiful’_. For the whole night.

Instead she said, ‘I guess I’ll see you at school, then.’

‘Yeah, I guess so.’ He turned to go, then looked back. He smiled. ‘Happy New Year, Lockhart. Thanks for coming with me.’

It took her by surprise, so much that looking back she was sure she’d stood there with her mouth open for a good two seconds.

‘Thanks for – everything.’ He nodded, still smiling. Artemis took a step closer, and quickly grazed her lips against his cheek, then closed the door before she could see his face.

 

_A/N: and there, dear readers, i'll leave you for Christmas. the next chapter is just around the corner. how will things be when the gang return to Hogwarts? Chapter Nine: Exceeding Expectations and Hot Snow_


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